Lisa Cupid, the Chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, extended the Declaration of Emergency put in place because of the surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

“The current surge caused by the omicron variant continues to have serious impacts on our local hospitals,” Chairwoman Cupid said.  “Cases remain well above high community spread, and until we get those numbers down we need to encourage residents to take precautions; to continue wearing masks, watching their distance, and washing their hands.  Those precautions are outlined in this order.”

According to the statement posted on the county website:

The order keeps the county’s Emergency Operations Plan in place, allows the county to hold all or portions of public meetings virtually, and encourages residents to take precautions, including getting vaccinated, to avoid further spread of the omicron variant of the virus.  The declaration could be ended early if public health officials say the situation warrants it.

The policy requires masks to be worn while inside Cobb government buildings including libraries, indoor parks facilities, and senior centers.  This policy does NOT affect:

• Privately-run businesses in the county,
• The Cobb County School District which is governed by the Board of Education, and;
• The Cobb County court complex, where a judicial order continues to mandate the use of masks.

County Manager Dr. Jackie McMorris said mask requirements and social distancing guidelines put in place for county government facilities will expire at the end of January. 

The news release stated that could also change “if circumstances warrant it.”

To read the extended Declaration of Emergency, follow this link.