Governor Brian Kemp issued a shelter-in-place order for Georgia. The order will go into effect tonight at 6 p.m. and will continue until April 13.

According to the order, this means that Georgia residents will be asked to stay home to help stop the spread of COVID-19. You will still be able to go out if you are an essential employee, getting supplies from stores or participating in necessary travel.

Those who are homeless during this time are asked to find shelter and contact the government for help or other entities for assistance.

Businesses that are essential will have new requirements to follow while remaining open during this time. They will have to screen workers for any signs of an illness, prohibit gatherings at work, increase sanitation, provide protective gear for employees, require the washing of hands, suspend the use of PIN and electronic signature for credit cards and and enforce social distancing (six feet apart).

Those who can work from home are being asked to at this time and conferences/meetings are to be held virtually if possible.

We are still being asked to maintain our distance from one another when we do have to go out and to continue to wash our hands frequently.

To read the governor’s executive order in full, click here.

Ashton Christianson, The George-Anne News Reporter, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu