Cobb County Chairman Mike Boyce signed a supplement to the Declaration of Emergency that extends the Declaration until April 24 and further defines “non-essential” businesses that must immediately close. The order also provides more detailed guidance on the “shelter-in-place” order and adds additional requirements to grocery and essential retail stores to enforce social distancing. Boyce said the additional measures were necessary to continue to “flatten the curve” on the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Cobb County. “I want to make absolutely sure that all of our measures help slow the spread of the virus,” Boyce said. “Our healthcare system in the county still has capacity, still has available ventilators, so it is important rather than filling those beds and using those ventilators we take all necessary measures to not use up those resources.” The supplement addresses concern over some businesses that continued to operate and orders the following “non-essential” businesses to close:

• Gyms, fitness and recreation centers

• Hair salons

• Barber shops

• Nail salons

• Waxing salons

• Tanning salons

• Spas

• Tattoo parlors

• Massage-therapy establishments and massage services

• All other nonessential businesses in which person-to-person contact occurs and persons are unable to maintain a distance of 6 feet between one another at all times.

Grocery and essential retail stores will be required to institute measures to ensure social distancing in their buildings, including posting signage and markings in and outside of the stores. There are other measures for stores outlined in the order, as well as a further definition of the “shelter-in-place” order and language outlining the delay in opening community pools and recreation facilities. The order takes effect immediately. The complete document is available on Cobb County’s COVID-19 webpage at https://bit.ly/2yr0Q3H.