Coronavirus cases continue to increase in East Point

Elected officials urge city residents to stay home as much as possible

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The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in East Point continues to climb as local officials urge residents to stay home even though the state’s shelter-in-place order has been lifted.

In a week, coronavirus cases in East Point increased nearly 13 percent – from 82 cases on April 24 to 93 cases on Friday, according to an epidemiology report released by the Fulton County Board of Health.

The number of coronavirus cases puts East Point fifth among cities in the county, behind Atlanta (1,314 or 45.4 percent), South Fulton (351 or 12.1%), Sandy Springs (232 or 8 percent) and Roswell (140 or 4.8 percent). Johns Creek has 93 cases – the same number as East Point. 

East Point’s share of coronavirus cases – 3.2 percent of the total in Fulton County – nearly matches its percentage of the county population.

Overall, the Tri-Cities area has 139 cases – or 4.8 percent of the county’s total. Combine the numbers from South Fulton, which East Point shares a border with, and the cases total 490 – or 16.9 percent. Overall, the southern portion of Fulton has 21.6 percent of cases in the county.

Even before the report was released on Friday, officials in East Point were pleading with residents to wear face masks, practice physical distancing and say home whenever possible. Gov. Brian Kemp’s shelter-in-place order for most people ended Thursday, allowing businesses – other than bars, nightclubs and live performance venues – to reopen. Kemp has also banned cities from imposing more severe restrictions.

“The message that we continue to have, and I’ve talked with mayors in eight cities in South Fulton County and we all agree that it is still critically important to stay home, be smart and safe,” Mayor Deana Holiday Ingrahm said Thursday during her virtual “Community Conversations.”

“The numbers are just continuing to increase daily. You are talking about families being greatly impacted, losing loved ones, and just really needing to focus on safety,” she added.

‘I’ve cried. I’ve pleaded. I’ve prayed. Stay home.’

State Rep. Kim Schofield, whose District 60 includes portions of East Point, joined Ingraham in calling on residents to remain at home as much as possible and be safe when they go in public for work or essential tasks.

“You’ve got to help us help you,” Schofield said. “We’ve screamed, we’ve begged, I’ve cried, I’ve pleaded, I’ve prayed – listen, to stay home. We’re doing this for you. We love businesses. We know it’s important that you need your livelihood. But we need the people and the workers to be healthy to help you. So help us. We want you to be healthy.”

The uptick in coronavirus cases in East Point and Fulton – which reported 2,880 cases and 121 deaths on Saturday – comes as the county and state continue to expand COVID-19 testing sites. The nearest drive-through centers to East Point include sites at Greenbriar Mall, operated by the Georgia Army National Guard (top photo), and Wolf Creek Amphitheater, run by the county health department.

Both sites require appointments. But the county health department has also launched mobile testing locations that do not require appointments. A list of testing sites is among the resources on the county’s COVID-19 online portal.

Read more coverage of how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting East Point.