Augusta-Richmond County looks to take measures against coronavirus at special meeting Thursday

Thursday, March 12, 2020
AUGUSTA, GA (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta-Richmond County Commission appears ready to vote on measures in an effort to contain the coronavirus when it appears in the CSRA.
According to Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr., commission will hold a special meeting Thursday at 2 p.m. to vote on several city-wide recommendations to help.
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Davis says some of those recommendations include changing interactions for city employees, review ways to handle public transit, and the possible cancellation of city-wide events.
With many types of celebrations coming up throughout the season, Davis says he’s aware of the economic impact but says the city is in a fluid-decision making process where safety is the priority.
“We are working collaboratively as a city to include our partners in the healthcare community, folks at Augusta National, and any other major events that we have in our city," Davis said.
Polling places ahead of the March 24 primary election have implemented several precautionary measures such as readily available hand sanitizer and crews wiping down machines between votes.
Davis also says they are looking at possibly screening the public before they enter certain government buildings.
More than anything, the consensus among commissioners was to fight fears with facts. Health officials reiterating they believe the coronavirus risk here is still low.
Commission says with more than 200,000 residents plus thousands more commuting for work and cyber, they want to make sure their prepared before a positive case.
“But more than anything, bringing an awareness to them this is how we’re going to operate as city until such time that we have our hands nationally on this issue," Davis said.
The city is now asking agencies to rank their staff by risk exposure. Based off that data, they’ll try to figure out how minimize those people’s interaction with the public when possible.