COVID–19 Cases Surging In County
By REBECCA HAZEN
News Editor
County Executive Ted Rumley told community members that COVID-19 cases are still surging in Dade County, as well as in other surrounding counties, and encouraged vaccination, during the Thursday, Aug. 12 weekly county update.
“We’re right back to where we were. It’s scary. We have doubled here in 14 days. If you haven’t heard about it, you need to check out what’s going on, because it’s happening,” Rumley said regarding the surge in cases.
Dade County has seen 84 cases in the past two weeks, for a total of 1,351 COVID-19 cases. The number of cases can be found at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report.
“The good thing about this is we have plenty of vaccines. There aren’t any lines. As this goes on, there are going to be lines. If you decide to get vaccinated, there is no reason to not get it right now,” Rumley said.
Nearby testing locations include Primary Healthcare, Lawson Medical and Price Pharmacy in Trenton, and American Family Care in Lookout Valley, Tenn.
The Dade County Sheriff’s Office has closed their lobby to limited and scheduled access to help protect staff and inmates. For more information call the Sheriff’s Office at (706) 657-3233.
“We’re not sure; we’re going to have conversations about this building, and about the people here. I worry about protecting the people here and the people coming here. We will put our cleaning station back out,” Rumley said about the administrative building.
Also during the county update, it was noted that there are many employment opportunities currently in Dade County. The Dade County Library is hiring a part-time youth education coordinator. To download an application visit chrl.org/employment-opportunities. The Dade County Public Works Department is hiring two full-time employees. For more information visit dadecounty-ga.gov. The UGA Extension is hiring a 4-H Educator. Stay tuned for the job application to appear on UGA’s website.
Rumley also gave updates about road projects.
“Everyone is really thankful and happy that Morganville Ridge Road is open. They’ve done a good job on it. We are proud of our road department,” Rumely said.
Mowing is in process on Hales Gap Road and Burkhalter Gap Road.
Currently, Rumley does not know when the grinding and paving on Highway 136 will be finished.
“When you’re grinding asphalt down, it’s just a long process,” Rumley said.
The Optimist Club is having their annual Golf Classic tournament and fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 21. Save the date for the Optimist Bowling Tournament on Oct. 24.
The next D.A.D.E. Grass Class will be Monday, Aug. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The topic is winter annual and perennial forage planting and management. The speaker is UGA State Forage Extension Specialist Dr. Lisa Baker. To register call the Dade County Extension Office at (706) 657-4116.
The weekly update is broadcast on Facebook and YouTube on Thursdays at 3 p.m.