STATESBORO — Bulloch County and the surrounding areas continue to see a steady increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

While this week the number of confirmed cases in Bulloch County exceeded 500, the day to day increase remained in the 14-18 case range with a spike of 25 on July 5. This could be the beginning of the curve being flattened when compared to last week’s daily case growth, which ranged from 23 to 54.

Both weeks have seen days that have broken out of the weekly range with June 28 only seeing a six case increase from the previous day and July 6 seeing a seven case increase from the previous day.

As of July 9, Bulloch County has 561 confirmed cases and 42 hospitalizations, Chatham County has 2,117 confirmed cases and 244 hospitalizations, and Liberty County has 178 confirmed cases and 22 hospitalizations.

Savannah’s mayor issued a city-wide ordinance on June 30 requiring a face mask to be worn in public starting on July 1. This will remain in place until further notice. The establishment of the Mandatory Face Mask Ordinance is the first phase in the five phase reopening plan that the city of Savannah will be using in order to combat the rising number of confirmed cases.

Chatham county has seen an increase in cases from 1,379 on July 1 to 2,117 on July 9, and the number of those cases being hospitalized in that same time frame has increased by 56.

Traditionally, the Fourth of July weekend is one filled with large gatherings of family and friends, but due to the ongoing pandemic, the CDC had recommended that smaller gatherings be held while still complying with social distancing and the wearing of face masks.

The results of both this past weekend’s festivities and Savannah’s face mask ordinance will be reflected in the rate at which cases increase both this week and the following weeks.

The University System of Georgia updated its guidelines on the use of face coverings for face to face classes. The changes were announced following changes made by the Center for Disease Control about ages and underlying conditions that might make one more susceptible to COVID-19.

For the latest COVID-19 numbers for all of Georgia, you can look at Georgia’s Department of Public Health which updates at 3 p.m. every day. For Bulloch County specifics, Grice Connection updates in a timely manner after the GDPH.

The Center for Disease Control and the Georgia Department of Health both continue to provide updates on health guidelines, symptoms and who to contact if you display symptoms.

Fernanda Camacho Hauser, News Reporter, fc00746@georgiasouthern.edu