Local closings and policy changes due to COVID-19 pandemic

March 13, 2020–5:00 a.m.

STAFF REPORTS

Concerns over COVID-19 have resulted in some school closings in our area.

Rome City Schools will be closed for teachers and students until April 6.

For those who wish to receive a school meal, one may be picked up at any of our Rome City School campuses on the following dates from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Monday, 03.16.20
Wednesday, 03.18.20
Friday, 03.20.20
Monday, 03.23.20
Wednesday, 03.25.20
Thursday, 03.26.20
During this time, all extracurricular activities are canceled.
Floyd County Schools will remain closed until March 26.
As previously stated, central office employees and custodial staff will need to report to work on Friday, March 13th.
Polk County Schools will close on Monday and will remain closed until March 27 as will Cartersville City, Bartow County Schools, Gordon County, Rome City, Trion City and Chattooga County Schools.

Darlington to close campus for two weeks following governor’s recommendation

Also, beginning Monday, all University System of Georgia institutions, including Georgia Highlands College, will temporarily suspend classes for two weeks.
Berry College is closing its campus to visitors through the end of March.
To help mitigate the potential spread of the virus within Rome-Floyd County, both local governments are following the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control, including the encouragement of telework when feasible and implementing social distancing measures.  Floyd County will be adding screenings upon entering the County’s Judicial Center.
Floyd Medical Center has instituted new visitor restrictions.
Patients and visitors may ONLY enter at main or emergency entrances.

Floyd Medical Center’s North Entrance on Turner McCall Boulevard and the parking deck are closed to the public.

All visitors and patients will be screened before entering the hospital. ·
Only one visitor per patient will be permitted. ·
No visitors younger than 13 will be permitted. ·

The restrictions are also in effect for the
330 Physician Center ·
Floyd Behavioral Health ·
Polk Medical Center ·
Cherokee Medical Center ·

In an abundance of caution and for the safety of our guests, Cartersville Medical Center currently has a “No Visitation” policy in effect. There are a few exceptions and allowances to the policy, including:
Pediatric Patients: 1 parent or caregiver
OB Patients: 1 birthing or care partner
Outpatient Surgery or Outpatient Testing: 1 caregiver
*Further exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis.

During this time, visitors may want to consider alternative communication options, if available, such as phone, FaceTime, text or email.

Minor League Baseball in conjunction with Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that the start of the 2020 Season will be delayed due to concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The delay means the previously scheduled Opener for the Rome Braves on April 9th versus the Hagerstown Suns at State Mutual Stadium is postponed indefinitely.

The Rome Area History Center will be closed for scheduled renovations on Tuesday, March 17 and will reopen on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

The City of Rome remains diligent and proactive in its efforts to support community mitigation strategies for the COVID-19 virus. To help protect our citizens and volunteers, all City of Rome meetings have been postponed for the next 30 days. The Rome City Commission does still plan to meet as necessary to address core business needs.

A new web page with Corona Virus Updates has been added to the city and county website which is easily accessed from the RomeFloyd.com homepage or at: https://www.romefloyd.com/coronavirus-updates

The page provides quick links to online payment tools for both city/county services bill pay; residents are encouraged to utilize virtual methods for bill pay. Additionally, the page provides information on assistance for small businesses impacted by COVID-19; updates from city/county governments and links to the most current health related information.

Rome City Solid Waste would like to remind residents to securely tie all garbage bags for the safety of the public and solid waste workers.

The Rome-Floyd E.C.O. Center will be closed to the public through April 6.  All meetings and gatherings at the center have been canceled.

The City of Rome continues to stay in contact with local health officials and Floyd County Emergency Management Agency to address the COVID-19 virus in the community.

The Floyd County Board of Commissioners are working hard to ensure the health and safety of our employees that deliver critical services as well as the safety and welfare of our residents.  From March 14, 2020 until March 29, 2020, certain departments within Floyd County will be limiting operations.  Specific information for the departments is listed below.  Please contact the Floyd County Clerk’s office at 706-291-5110 for more information.

Superior Court—Please refer to earlier release on Superior Court Services

District Attorney’s Office—Grand Jurors do not have to report for March 20, 2020. The District Attorney’s office will reevaluate and let them know via email and/or phone calls when they will next meet.

Juvenile Court–Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 38-3-61 The Chief Superior Court Judge controls access and operations of all judicial proceedings for the Rome Judicial Circuit, per Chief Supreme Court Justice Harold Melton.   The Floyd County Sheriff is responsible for the physical control and operation of the Floyd County Courthouse.   AS SUCH, the Juvenile Court of Floyd County will comply with the directives of the Chief Presiding Judge of the Rome Judicial Circuit, i.e. Judge Bryant Durham and the operational mandates of the Floyd County Sheriff as to screening procedures, public access, and judicial operations and procedures related to the Floyd County Courthouse (which includes the Juvenile Court).  Thus, scheduled Juvenile Court hearings will be subject to those directives and mandates and may be subject to necessary continuances or delays.  Such continuances or judicial delays obviously will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.  Policies and procedures for Juvenile Court hearings (due to the unique and changing nature of the current COVID-19 situation) must therefore be malleable. All parties engaged in Juvenile Court matters MUST maintain immediate and ongoing contact and communication with their attorneys or probation officers. (If a party is unrepresented or has no Probation officer, they should communicate with the Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office as to the status of any upcoming and previously scheduled hearings and procedures for the same).  Newly filed cases will be received and processed through the normal intake process.  New hearings will be scheduled to reduce the risk of having large numbers of individuals gathered in any one location at one time by staggering hearing times and dates to thus reduce possible exposures.  It is again noted, however, that these juvenile case scheduling’s still remain subject to the protocols and mandates established by the Chief Superior Court Judge and the Sheriff.  The public is urged to understand the unique nature of the current crisis and are asked to please be patient with Juvenile Court personnel.  We are all trying to provide justice to our children, our families and the public in the safest and most efficient manner possible considering the current unique and difficult circumstances.  Sincerely, Judge C. Gregory Price

Sheriff’s Office/Jail—The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office has implemented a new three-tiered color coded system in response to any potential issues regarding communicable diseases.

  • Code Green – Business operations will continue as normal.
  • Code Yellow – Essential operations only.
  • Code Red – Facility Lockdown

Effective March 11, 2020, we are in the Code Yellow phase of our system. We are temporarily suspending our religious services and our community service programs. Clergy members will still be allowed to hold one-on-one visitations using our normal security measures. Additional programs may be affected as we determine necessary for the safety and security of our facility, personnel, and inmates.

Engineering—Engineering requests citizens visit the website at www.romefloyd.com/departments/floyd-county-engineering  if possible for driveway permits, plat approvals, and addressing.  Most of these operations can be handled online or via email if the customer has internet access.  Customers with questions can call (706) 291-5114.

Public Works—With the suspension of access to community service workers for at least two weeks, weekend litter pickups will be suspended as well.

Floyd County Prison/Work Release Center—Upon order of Governor Kemp, all inmate visitation and outside programs have been cancelled until April 10, 2020.  Floyd County Prison is in the process of having video visitation software installed for inmates to use at this time.  The full prison population should have access no later than Monday, March 16, 2020.

Floyd County Remote Sites—Remote Site attendants have been directed to keep a safe distance and not assist with dumping trash or recycling material.  Citizens will need to be able to dispose of their refuse and recyclable items without the assistance of the attendants.

Tax Assessors’ Office—Starting Monday, March 16, 2020, the Floyd County Tax Assessors’ office, located on the second floor of the Historic Courthouse at 4 Government Plaza, will be closed to public access.  Citizens can visit https://www.romefloyd.com/departments/tax-assessor to determine a method of application and/or delivery for Real Property Returns, Personal Property Returns, Homestead Exemption Applications, etc., which will still be accepted.  The property appraisal staff will continue to visit properties during this time but will refrain from as much face-to-face interaction as possible.

Tax Commissioner’s Office—The Floyd County Tax Commissioner’s office, including the tag and property tax offices, will remain open with increased screening and limited access.  Customers should expect delays when processing in person at the tax office.  We strongly encourage all tag renewals and property tax payments to be made through our website at www.floydcountytax.com.  To help our customers, beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, the tax office will not charge the processing fee for online property tax payments through the end of March.

Magistrate Court—The Magistrate Court will work with the Superior Court and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office to ensure the safety of all citizens who use Magistrate Court and our employees. We will continue to schedule cases but will limit the number of citizens to 30 or less if at all possible. We realize this may delay the scheduling of cases beyond the normal times and hope that the citizens understand the reason why. We continue to monitor the situation and appreciate the understanding of our customers.  Citizen are urged to call our office if they have any questions or concerns.

Public Animal Welfare Services– We currently are asking all citizens who wish to surrender a pet to call and make an appointment. We will take all the information needed over the phone for the surrender and email a surrender form to be signed and sent back.  When you arrive, we ask that you please stay in the vehicle and call the shelter at 706-236-4537. We will come out to the vehicle to retrieve the animal and complete the process.

Floyd County Water Department—The Floyd County Water Department will continue to offer current level of services as long as staffing is available to support.  They request that customers attempt to make payments via mail, online, or by telephone instead of in-person, if possible.  Any customers wishing to start a new service should make the initial request via telephone at 706-291-5130 as opposed to in-person.  In some instances, the transaction may be completed without an in-person visit.  At any rate, the initial phone call can provide an opportunity to share any information necessary to minimize the amount of time required in the office.

For more information, please contact the Floyd County Clerk’s office at 706-291-5110.

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