UNION COUNTY, Ga – At 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris approved a state of emergency in Union County on the courthouse steps. The declaration is to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Union County.

The order goes into effect on March 30 at 12:01 am. and will last until April 30 at 11:59 p.m. It can also be rescinded at an earlier time by the commissioner or will automatically terminate if Gov. Kemp ends the statewide state of emergency. The procedures enacted are based on the current threat level in Union County and can be reassessed as the pandemic progresses in the state and Union County.

Blairsville City Council declared a state of emergency on March 25, which goes into effect at 9 p.m. on March 26.

Under this state of emergency, all restaurants in the county can only offer carry-out, curbside, or drive-thru services. All on-premise dining is prohibited while the order is in effect. Restaurants licensed to sell alcohol may continue to sell by the package in sealed containers without obtaining an additional license. However, the sale of beer or wine is only allowed with the purchase of a meal. It may not be sold separately.

Businesses that provide “body care services which require physical contact between the provider and client, including but not limited to, barbering, hair design, cosmetology, massage therapy, body waxing, or nail care shall be closed for business.” This directive doesn’t restrict any services provided under the direct supervision of a licensed medical doctor, nurse, dentist, physical therapist, chiropractor, or other healthcare professionals.

All establishments not mentioned in the state of emergency declaration must post signage on entrance doors informing customers to maintain at least six feet of distance between themselves and others. If stores can’t maintain the social distancing of six feet of separation, then only ten individuals can be allowed in at any one time.

Any business certified as “essential” by Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and pursuant to O.C.G.A. 38-3-58 or designated by the Governor as “critical infrastructure” or medial or health services are still free to conduct business.

Meeks Park playgrounds and the outside exercise areas are going to be closed on Wednesday, March 25. However, Meeks Park isn’t being shut down at this time and will be signs placed at the park’s entrance stating that it is open for local use only. This means that taxpayers or Union County residents may use the park for walking/ jogging if it’s not in an organized group larger than 10 people. Social distancing will also be in place at the park. No one should be within six feet of each other, unless immediate family.

Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 as recognized by the CDC can’t enter public areas, businesses, shops, public transportation facilities, restaurants, or any area where “the public ingresses or egresses.” This person should seek medical treatment with their primary care physician and follow their directions until cleared to return to public interaction.

Copy of ordinance.

All public gatherings – organized groups larger than 10 – are prohibited on any county-owned or controlled property. This doesn’t prohibit the use of sidewalks or pedestrian areas in parks for walking or other exercises as long as it isn’t part of an organized group of 10 or more.

The county is not issuing a shelter in place or curfew order currently but reserves the right to do so in the future. Residents can choose to quarantine themselves or shelter in place, but it’s not a current directive by the local government. This means individuals only leave their homes for groceries, medication, or medical assistant.

Union County Sheriff’s Office is authorized to enforce the orders, rules, and regulations enacted during the state of emergency.

Anyone who violates any provision of the ordinance could be subject to a misdemeanor charge with a fine up to $1,000 and imprisonment of up to 60 days for each separate violations. Individuals found assisting in “commission of a violation shall be guilty of separate offenses” as well.

Enotah District Attorney Jeff Langley informed Fetch Your News that each day the failure to comply continues it will count as a separate violation.

The EMA director is authorized to “obtain an injunction to restrain the violation of laws, code sections, orders, rules, and regulations that are contained in the GEMA act, the ordinance, or implemented by the commissioner.

The courthouse to closed to “casual traffic.” Someone must be granted permission from an employee to enter. Courthouse employees are still working. There are exceptions for the Clerk of Court Office and all court-related functions. Please visit the Union County Government website for details.

Paris hopes that the United States Forest Service (USFS) will close the Appalachian Trail and other public trails by Friday, March 27. This requires coordination with other counties from Georgia to Maine. The Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw issued a letter earlier in the week urging the USFS to close the trail. USFS must publicize the decision to close in order to keep people from the metro area and other parts of Ga, Tenn., or N.C. from entering the county.

Union County government can’t control federal or state highways to limit the number of people from entering the area. USDOT and GDOT must make those decisions. However, several metro-counties and some rural counties are now under a shelter in place directive, which should keep people from traveling to Union and potentially spreading COVID-19 or limiting local supplies.

On a Facebook post, Paris addressed the request from residents to close the county off to the individuals who aren’t necessarily considered “local”:

“Several have suggested that we keep everyone that is not local, out of the county. This is not practical or legal at this time. We cannot keep people from other towns or cities out of our stores. That is strictly the prerogative of store owners and managers. In addition, many of the people in our county may have an out of state tag, but they still own property here, pay taxes here and are part-time residents and certainly have the right to stay here.”

As of 12 p.m. on March 26, there aren’t any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Union County. However, several neighboring counties do have cases, including Fannin, White, Lumpkin, and Cherokee County N.C. It’s a good idea for all citizens in Union County to follow the CDC guidelines of hand washing and social distancing whenever possible to prevent the spread.