COVID-19 Information and Cancellations in Washington County

In response to the current coronavirus pandemic, cancellations and closings have been issued throughout Washington County. Please stay tuned to this post for updated information concerning WACO occurrences and events.

 

Schools

Washington County Public Schools will transition to a distance learning model. This model is a teacher driven process, that will enable teachers to continue to provide quality instruction. This will give the students the option of online learning through Google classroom and other web-based programs. Students will also have the option of completing distance learning with learning packets. The facilities will be closed for staff and students through Monday, April 13. Online learning will begin Monday, March 23. In order to give teachers time to prepare for the distance learning model, online learning will begin on Monday, March 23. Between now and Friday, parents will receive additional communication from their child’s school. If a student opts to use the learning packet format, Learning packets will be available for pick-up on Monday, March 23 from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at you child’s school. Learning packet delivery will be available upon request. Please contact your child’s school principal or teacher to request delivery. Please click HERE to view information on Washington County Public Schools Meal Distribution locations and times.

Brentwood Schools made the decision to close school through April 10. On Tuesday, March 17, families should come to campus to collect books, materials, and assignments for students. To collect those items, Early Pre-K through Kindergarten should report to classrooms in the Pre-School building. Grades 1-4 should report to classrooms in Linton Hall. Grades 5-8 should report to homeroom in Linton Hall. Grades 9-12 should report to homeroom at the Sandersville School on North Harris Street.

Oconee Fall Line Technical College campuses closed Friday, March 13, and will remain closed through Friday, March 27. OFTC plans to reopen its campuses on Monday, March 30. In a campus message from OFTC President Erica Harden, it explains that the school was informed that an employee had been exposed to the COVID 19 virus. Persons who have been in contact with this person are being contacted. OFTC has begun deep cleaning processes on their campuses.

Georgia Military College initially announced it would restrict access to their campuses effective March 16 until March 27. Only students, faculty, and staff will have access to the campuses during this time. On Friday, March 13, at approximately 7 p.m. GMC reported that they will close ALL 14 campuses to Junior College students effective immediately until March 29. All faculty and staff will report to their respective campuses as usual and will be available to assist any students remotely. Monday, March 16 all in-seat classes will transfer to online learning. Faculty and staff will be on campus if students have any questions about the transition to online learning. Students can contact faculty and staff via phone call, text message, or email.

Washington County Head Start/GA Pre-K Centers in Sandersville and Davisboro will be closed March 13 – April 13. Head Start plans to provide at-home curriculum for students. Meals will also be provided to enrolled children. “We are doing everything possible to ensure the health and safety of enrolled students and staff to help diminish the spread of the Coronavirus,” said Executive Director Susie D. Wilcher.

The Glascock County School System has determined school closures should be extended past Governor Kemp’s mandate to Friday, April 3, 2020. Spring break planned for April 6 – 10, 2020, will remain as scheduled. School system administration will continue to evaluate conditions prior to the end of spring break with an expected return date for students of Monday, April 13, 2020. As of today, graduation is still scheduled for May 22, 2020. Call the school system at (706) 598-2291 with any questions or concerns.

East Georgia State College’s annual Works in Progress Reader’s Theatre Production will not be held this year. EGSC has decided to cancel the performance due to classes being moved to online. The annual production is directed by Professor Sebastian Verdis and is presented by the EGSC Performing Arts Club. Any updates or changes with the production will be posted on the EGSC website at www.ega.edu.

T.J. Elder Middle School announced that if a student has medicine at the school that needs to be picked up, the medicine will be distributed from 7:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Monday, March 23. A parent or guardian must collect the medicine.

Georgia Military College Sandersville Campus announced that their April 24 Spring Fling has been canceled.

Hospital/Retirement & Nursing Homes

Washington County Regional Medical Center is restricting all visitation to the hospital. There will be no visitation to any department until further notice.

• Patients for Outpatient Services: All non-emergency patients presenting for surgery or diagnostic services and treatment should use the hospital’s Emergency entrance, where a staff member will greet patients and provide screening and directions to the area where care is to be provided, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. only.
• Patient Visitor Changes: No visitation at this time. Phone are available in every patient room and the hospital encourages you to give your loved one a call at any time by dialing 478-240-2000. Our MSP unit, and ECF will continue to restrict ALL visitation at this time.
• Emergency Patient Entry: At the Emergency Department entrance, patients transported by ambulance will enter the building at the ambulance bay as usual. For patients arriving by other than emergency transport, a screening staff will be in place.
• Medical Records: The Medical Records Department will be closed to the public. Our staff are in the office and happy to help you by phone with any medical records request that you may have. If you or your physician are needing a copy of your medical records, please call ahead at one of the numbers below. The Medical Records staff will happily FAX your record to the physician that is needing them. We also have a “Patient Portal” on our website that is available for the patients to view their medical records. If you have not already been set up with the “Patient Portal,” please call the Medical Records Department and they will be able to quickly set you up for access. For patients that are needing the paper copy of their medical records, please call ahead so that our staff can process your request and discuss the arrangements for you picking up the medical records. We apologize for any inconvenience, however, the safety of our patients, families, and employees continues to be our top priority. Medical Records telephone contacts are 478-240-2034 or 478-240-2089.

Washington County Regional Medical Center’s Extended Care Facility is closed to all visitors until further notice.

Tennille Retirement Home is taking precautions to limit the residents’ exposure to COVID-19 by allowing no visitors until further notice. Only health care professionals and staff will be allowed to enter Tennille Retirement Home. If you need to leave personal items for your loved one, please call Tennille Retirement Home and notify the staff at 478-552-0607. All activities have been suspended until further notice. Tennille Retirement Home is offering “Drive-Thru Visitation.” Family can wave from their vehicles to their loved ones between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday – Friday. Staff will need to know in advance in order to make arrangement with residents.

Children’s Healthcare Center of Sandersville announced new office procedures. Children’s Healthcare is still scheduling well visits. These visits will be scheduled in their meeting time slots. Sick visits will start at 11 a.m. and through the afternoon. The procedure for sick visits is: When you call for a sick visit, please let the front desk know if your child has had a cough and fever; Once you arrive at the office, please stay in your car and call the front desk and let them know you have arrived; once a room is ready for your child, the Center will let you know to come inside. At this time, Children’s Healthcare is not performing COVID-19 testing.

Wellness Works at Washington County Regional Medical Center announced Monday, March 23 that it will close until further notice.

Sandersville Family Practice is operating with normal hours and trying to do everything possible to protect every patient as well as staff. They are asking patients to call prior to their appointment and call from the parking lot once they arrive. Each patient will be escorted in and placed in an exam room. They are NOT calling in antibiotics because of the liability of missed diagnosis, but they will work you in, as always.

Gatherings 

The Washington County Senior Center will be closed for clients from Monday, March 16 – Friday, March 27.

The Washington County Recreation Department activities are postponed through Sunday, March 29. The gym will remained closed through Sunday, March 29, as well.

The Brown House Museum and Genealogical Research Center will be closed beginning Monday, March 16 – Tuesday, April 7.

The Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library will be open on Wednesday, March 18, but will close Thursday, March 19 until further notice. All library programs, meeting room use, and other services will be temporarily suspended.  The date of library re-opening will be evaluated on the Monday of each week. Due dates are temporarily suspended, and late book fees will not accrue during this time. The library ask for no return of library books during this closure. Outdoor book drops will not be available. Wifi access will be available in the library parking lot. eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, language learning, and more is available online at ocrl.org/lc-resources.

The Relay For Life of Washington County’s Survivor Dinner scheduled for Monday, March 16 has been canceled. The Event Leadership Team hopes to reschedule this event in the coming months.

The Washington County Young Sportsman Foundation’s banquet scheduled for Saturday, March 14 has been postponed until further notice. The members have made an effort to contact all ticket holders with updates.

The Washington County Ag Center Rodeo is postponed until Friday,  May 29 and Saturday, May 30.

May and Smith Funeral Directors will be following recommendations from the National Funeral Directors Association in hopes of allowing a normal climate of grief to continue all while respecting health. The funeral home will place videos of the services online to be viewed. Funerals and memorial services we will be assessed on a case by case basis with alternatives being, limited to family only events, or having graveside only services. Indoor services will have distances in seating arrangements with the elimination of prior and post service greetings.

Hamburg State Park’s Annual Spring Fling scheduled for Saturday, April 4 has been canceled. All pre-registered vendors will receive 100 percent reimbursement.

The Easter Egg Hunt scheduled for Saturday, April 4 hosted by “Bless the City” and Washington County Recreation Department has been canceled.

The Professional Disc Golf Association’s disc golf tournament at Depot Disc Golf scheduled for May 2 -3 has been postponed.

The Lupus Walk in Washington County scheduled for Saturday, May 2 has been postponed until further notice.

The ‘2nd Friday Touch a Truck’ event on April 10 is cancelled.

The 2nd Friday Homegrown Farmers Market kick off concert on May 8 is postponed.

The Relay For Life of Washington County 2020 event scheduled for May 1 has been canceled based on current guidance from the CDC and State authorities. The Event Leadership Team is working together through teleconferencing to put together a “Mini Relay” in order to honor those who have felt the impact of cancer.

The Boy Scout Troop 74 Annual Benefit Golf Tournament scheduled for Saturday, March 28 has been postponed.

Vintage on the Tracks in Tennille, originally scheduled for April 3 -4, has been postponed until May 30-31. Vendor applications are being accepted. If you have already applied and paid, your application is automatically being transferred to the new date. If a vendor has paid, and has a conflict with the new date, the vendor will receive a refund.

The Washington County Recreation Department’s outdoor facilities (basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, and soccer fields) are closed until further notice.

Law Enforcement/Correctional Facilities

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is taking precautionary measures to  identify and prevent the spread of the COVID 19 virus. The Washington County Jail has revised its intake screening process for the new arrivals. Offenders with a negative screening will proceed through the intake process as usual. If an offender has a positive screening, he or she will be provided with a mask and escorted to one of the medical isolation cells. Offenders will remain in the medical isolation cell for a 14-day quarantine period. Laboratory and confirmation testing will be ordered at the direction of the medical provider. Upon completion of the mandatory quarantine, offenders will complete the intake process. All personnel interacting with the offender during the medical isolation period will wear personal protective equipment. The offender will receive routine medical care while in the isolation location with required medical checks no less than twice daily by the medical provider.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is taking precautionary measures to  identify and prevent the spread of the COVID 19 virus. The Washington County Jail has canceled spiritual visitation for the jail until further notice, as well as suspended visitation of inmates by family and friends. Inmates will receive one free call every seven days. Inmates and family will be alerted of these calls. Funeral transports are also temporarily suspended. The front lobby of the Sheriff’s Office Administration is now closed. Call Dispatch at 478-552-0911 for all matters. To receive a copy of a report or a background check, call 478-552-4795 Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Visitation at all Georgia Department of Corrections facility has been suspended through April 10. Offenders will continue to have access to their loved ones via mail, telephone calls, and GOAL devices.

The Sandersville Municipal Court scheduled for Monday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m. has been canceled.  Sandersville’s Municipal Court for April 13 has also been canceled with the possibility that April 20 could be canceled, as well. Contact Court Clerk Brianna Wiley at 478-552-2525 with any questions.

The State Court of Washington County scheduled for Monday, March 23 is canceled due to an order declaring a statewide Judicial Emergency issued by the Honorable Harold D. Melton, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, due to the spread of the Coronavirus/COVID-19. All parties will be notified once the court date is rescheduled.

Businesses

Wal-Mart in Sandersville will temporarily amend their store’s hours of operation. The new hours will be 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. This is the second time Wal-Mart has modified its schedule. Every Tuesday, Wal-Mart will host an hour long senior shopping event one hour before the store opens. This runs from March 28-April 28.

Wal-Mart in Sandersville’s Auto Care Services are suspended until further notice.

All Washington Electric Membership Cooperative offices are closed to walk-in traffic effective Monday, March 23, 2020. Customer service agents are available to answer phone calls during normal business hours of 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Drive-thru service is available at our Sandersville and Wrightsville locations. Payment drop-box services are available at Sandersville, Wrightsville, Milledgeville and Sparta offices. Linemen and operations personnel will be responding to outages 24 hours a day to ensure uninterrupted electric service. Washington EMC has modified procedures to help our members during this time. Late payment fees and service disconnections for non-payment have been temporarily suspended. Customers will continue to receive monthly electric bills as normal. We encourage all customers to continue to pay their bill, if possible, to eliminate large balances coming due after this crisis. If you wish to establish a payment arrangement or talk to a representative about your account, please call us at 800-552-2577. All payment options listed below are available during this time. Communication and Payment Options:
• Visit our website at www.washingtonemc.com
• Mobile App (search for WEMC Mobile) – username and password will need to be set up online prior to using this service
• Phone – (800) 552-2577 – Talk to a Customer Service Representative or use our automated phone system
• Drive-Thru Window – Sandersville (319 N. Smith Street) and Wrightsville
• Drop Box – Sandersville (Temporary Office at 258 N. Harris St.), Wrightsville, Milledgeville and Sparta

Lavender Country House announced they are monitoring COVID-19 and following the current guidance from Government Health Authorities to ensure they are taking the appropriate actions to protect customers. They stated that they continue to maintain the high standards of cleanliness. At this time, Lavender Country House is requesting that if you traveled to any of the “at risk” countries or have been in contact with anyone from these countries or areas that you make other arrangements for lodging.

Keith McDonald Plumbing continues to provide services to customers. They ask that customers clean surface areas before technicians arrive, and to keep an appropriate distance while technicians are in your home.

McDonald’s in Sandersville announced that the dining room is temporarily unavailable. Due to recommendations from local authorities, McDonald’s in Sandersville transitioned to take-out only service.

Zaxby’s in Sandersville has temporarily closed their dining room. Orders may be placed using the drive-thru, by using the Zaxby’s mobile app, or through the online website.

Kentucky Fried Chicken has closed their dining room. Orders may be placed using the drive-thru.

Hardee’s has closed their dining room. Orders may be placed using the drive-thru.

Captain D’s in Sandersville has temporarily closed their dining room. Orders may be placed using the drive-thru.

George’s Quarters current our hours are Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm and Saturdays 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Arabella’s Spa & Salon will be closed for spa services through March 31, 2020. If products, casseroles, pizzas, or wine are needed, Arabella’s will deliver to curbside. For any of our home-bound clients, Arabella’s will deliver casseroles. Call in advance to order.

Fox’s Pizza of Sandersville will  have carry out and curb service ONLY. The store will be open Monday – Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Sammons Insurance offices in Sandersville and Dublin are taking are planning on locking doors, but will remain open during business hours from 8:30 – 5:00. They are asking customers to look to utilize all available options for payments and other policy services. If at all possible, please call in payments or use online accounts. Cash payments can still be made until further notice, but please consider purchasing a prepaid Visa or other debit cards for paying  premiums for the next few weeks.

Trackside Pub & Deli is remaining open, but will not host live music on Saturday. Trackside encourages use of their take-out service. Call us at 478-521-6077 for orders.

Summit Ace & Jay’s Ace are keeping regular hours. Ace Hardware warehouses, like many other businesses, are out of face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray/wipes, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. Summit Ace is actively working with Ace Corporate’s replenishment planners to secure additional supply of these items as soon as possible. These shortages are temporary. Ace encourages the use of online ordering at acehardware.com. Ace also encourages their curbside pickup program. Call the store to place an order and it will be delivered to curbside. Summit Ace additionally offers home delivery within 10 miles of the store, and offers free delivery for orders over $50.

Tennille Baptist Church will meet for Worship ONLY at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning. Bible Study and any other meetings are suspended at this time. Tennille Baptist Church encourages you to be an advocate for your own health and understand that not everyone needs to be present and should watch online. If you have been exposed to the virus, if you are sick, if you have underlying health issues that place you at risk, if you have been sick especially with respiratory troubles, if you are uncomfortable or even if you have infants and feel the need to err on the side of caution, Tennille Baptist Church encourages you to stay home worship with the church through the online capabilities.

Tennille Methodist Church will cancel all in-house worship services and church activities until the end of the month. It doesn’t mean that church or worship is canceled. Tennille Methodist Church will continue to worship via livestreaming and the radio. They are currently working to provide livestreaming for Sunday School.

Deepstep United Methodist Church is canceling church services until April 5. For the first time in the history of Deepstep United Methodist Church, Sunday sermons will be brought to you live on Facebook at 11 a.m.

Sandersville First Church of the Nazarene will continue gathering as usual for their weekly services and ministries. The church asks that each person approach this decision with the utmost regard for one another. If you are experiencing a fever greater than 100 degrees, shortness of breath, immune compromised or immune deficient, flu-like symptoms, the church asks that you consider joining from home via the Facebook live stream available on the Sandersville First Church of the Nazarene page.

The First Christian Church Mission Store will be open Friday, March 20. After that, the Mission Store will be closed until April 8. They ask that people NOT leave any donations outside the Store.

First Baptist Church of Sandersville has temporarily suspended the following activities until further notice: All Wednesday Night activities, Sunday School, Awana and Discipleship, Sunday afternoon activities, and Sunday night service. As of now, First Baptist Church of Sandersville plans to have Sunday Morning Worship Service.

Mount Moriah Baptist Church announced they will not have any services on Sunday, March 22 or Wednesday, March 25. Future plans will be discussed to determine when services can return to normal.

Tennille Grove Baptist Church has postponed all church events.

New Birth Christian Ministries will be airing Sunday and Wednesday worship services on WACO 100 (99.9 FM.) Sunday morning services are broadcast at 10:00 A.M.. Wednesday evening services are broadcast at 7:00 P.M. The services will also be featured on the Church’s Facebook page.

New Birth Christian Ministries’ Ribbon Cutting and Dedication for the Vital Link Center scheduled for Saturday, March 21 has been postponed until further notice.

St. James Christian Fellowship has suspended ALL services until further notice.

Pine Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Davisboro has canceled all services and events until further notice.

Hillside Church of God in Milledgeville is suspending “in-person” worship services of all kinds until further notice.

Middle Hill Missionary Baptist Church has cancelled all church services until further notice.

Government Offices

Washington County Board of Commissioners has closed all County offices to the public from now until April 1st. County offices will continue to operate and will be available to respond to emails and telephone calls to discuss any issues that the public may have. Please refer to the County website washingtoncountyga.gov and click on the departments tab for the contact information of the office you need to contact. Notifications will also be placed on the doors of each office listing their office numbers for any concerns. For those that need to pay for car tags or property taxes, please visit the Washington County Tax Commissioner’s website through the site listed to do so online. There is also an option to pay property taxes by phone with that number listed on the site. The County will continue to monitor the situation as new information is gathered and will make changes as they are required.

The City of Sandersville urges pertinence and understanding while limiting your requests for non-essential services. The City asks that customers avoid personal contact with customer service representatives by using alternative methods of communication and payment, and by doing business through online services, mail, drop-box, or telephone. City Hall lobby will be closed. Make utility payments during this time using any of these methods or at the drive-thru window at City Hall. Solid Waste services will continue on schedule.  For the safety of our solid waste provider, if your household has been identified with a COVID-19 patient or has residents under quarantine, please call the customer service department at 478-552-2525 and advise staff so that the provider can take extra precautions when handling your household waste.

The City of Tennille will close their lobby to customers effective Tuesday, March 17. Customers will be able to make utility bill payments by telephone, drop-box, or online. To make a utility payment online, visit the City’s website at www.tennille-ga.gov or contact City Hall during business hours (9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday) by calling 478-552-7875. In addition, the City of Tennille utilities will not terminate water services for the next 30 days.

The Sandersville Planning & Zoning Public Hearing scheduled for Monday, March 23 has been postponed until further notice.

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce announced updated hours and procedures for contacting the Chamber. For the week of March 16, the Chamber will have the following hours: 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 9 a.m. until noon on Wednesday. Starting the week of March 23, the Chamber will be open Monday, March 23 from 9 a.m. until noon, and Friday, March 27 from 9 a.m. until noon. The office will be CLOSED to the public. Gift card merchants can schedule a time via email or phone call to turn in those cards. To reach the Chamber, email chamber@washingtoncountyga.com, message them on Facebook, or call the Chamber during the set business hours at 478-552-3288.

The Sandersville Downtown Development Authority’s monthly meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 19 has been canceled. The Sandersville Downtown Development Authority’s annual meeting scheduled for Friday, March 27 has also been canceled.

The Washington County Tax Commissioner announced that anyone in need of immediate tag renewals or to pay property taxes can call the Washington County Tax Commissioner’s Office at 478-552-2144 for assistance.

The Washington County Recreation Department’s monthly meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 at 11:30 a.m. has been canceled.

The Washington County Board of Tax Assessor’s Office will be closed to the public until April 1, 2020. The Board of Tax Assessor’s is attempting to accommodate the public with the filing of all forms, which are due on Wednesday, April 1st.  This is a state mandated deadline that has not been extended as of this time. Forms that need completion and submission include: Conservation applications, forest land applications, homestead applications, real property returns, personal property/freeport returns, and mobile home appeals. At a property owner’s request, the Board of Tax Assessor’s will mail these forms to you with instructions for accurate completion. If you do not have access to a notary, the Board of Tax Assessor’s can watch you sign the form through their door and notarize your signature after you leave the forms in their drop box. The Board of Tax Assessor’s checks the drop box hourly or when informed something has been dropped off. Otherwise, the forms need to be properly completed and returned by mail, being postmarked by April 1, 2020. These forms can not be filed electronically. If you have any questions concerning any of these forms and deadlines, please call the Board of Tax Assessor’s Office at 478-552-2937. The Board of Tax Assessor’s office hours are from 9:00 A.M. am to 5:00 P.M. (Monday through Friday.)

The City of Sandersville is temporarily suspending “Leaf/Limb Pick-up” for City of Sandersville garbage disposal customers until further notice. The final day day of “Leaf/Limb Pick-up” will be on Friday, March 27th.

Banks

The Citizens Bank of the South lobby and drive-thru are remaining open with regular office hours. CBOTS does ask that those with office and urgent business use the lobby. As always, Citizens Bank encourages the use of their online and mobile banking.

Geo. D. Warthen Bank is now operating drive-thru only. If you are in need of a loan officer, customer service representative, or need to use any services traditionally inside, please call 478-552-6901 and make an appointment. Feel free to visit the bank’s website at www.gdwbank.com.

Queensborough National Bank & Trust is operating drive-thru only until further notice. If you feel you have a banking necessity and need to meet with a banker, please call your local branch to make an appointment with a manager or lender. As a reminder, Queensborough has many tools to help you continue to bank while practicing ‘social distancing.’ Some of those tools include: Q Online Banking, Q Mobile Banking, ATMs, Telephone Banking, and Q Customer Care Center.

Funeral Homes

May and Smith Funeral Directors continues to monitor the county’s health care crisis. The Funeral Home wants to act responsibly and at the same time render dignified and respectful service to those in need. The following are updates and clarification to the existing policy that accommodates local, state, and federal regulations, as well as National and Georgia Funeral Director Association recommendations.

1. The May & Smith Funeral Home business office will correspond to the public via phone conference, email, the postal service, and by appointment only. Their general email address is msfuneraldirectors@yahoo.com, the funeral home’s landline, which is answered 24/7, is 478-552-2501, and the mailing address is Post Office Box 1016, Sandersville, GA. 31082.

2. Public viewings are restricted to 10 or less people at the time. Family viewings will be arranged with each family and will be private and also in numbers of 10 or less. Funeral services will be private with family only present and again in number of 10 or less.

3. The funeral home will conduct memorial services at a later date, when considered safe to the public, to any family served.

As in normal times, each family served will have different needs and May & Smith will work to accommodate them. The staff will be praying for our community and work diligently to serve.

The current nature of the COVID-19 situation is fluid. Please feel free to relay additional news of closings and cancellations to WACO 100 by calling 478-552-5182 or emailing sales@waco100fm.com.