With the start of the weekend upon our community, local officials continue to be engaged with both state and federal partners regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Early yesterday morning county officials met to discuss continuity of operation planning for government services. Our leadership team is committed to providing a continued high-level quality of county services with minimal interruption through the week ahead.

At the time of this release, all county offices will be operating under normal conditions with the following exception…out of an abundance of caution, the Butts County Leisure Service Department has canceled all soccer activities through April 30, 2020, following suit with Georgia Soccer, with whom they are affiliated. This includes games, practices and picture day. As for our other sports and programs (baseball, softball, gymnastics, etc.), the county departments are all working together to determine the best course of action. We will publish this when we have it.

During this time, you may notice different responses than normal, from our public safety personnel. This may include things like wearing of additional protective clothing or 911 Officers asking callers required medical screening questions when requesting an ambulance, to help determine the type of response needed and to pass information on to first responders and so forth. Please be patient and understanding, as they are following recommended guidelines received from Health, Medical and Disease Control agencies.

One commonly asked question is whether the Butts County government has COVID-19 tests. The short answer is no, because these aren’t issued to counties. Doctors offices and hospitals can take test samples, if warranted, and send these off to laboratories for processing, but the testing must be medically indicated.

In an effort to keep our team healthy, we request that you continue to follow best practices for your health with regular handwashing and avoid conducting business with county offices if you are sick. Local officials will continue to monitor all aspects of COVID-19 and its potential impact on our community. Additionally, any new information will be released as it becomes available in order to keep our residents fully informed.

We are collaborating with all local partners, including our three cities and our school system, to manage the challenges that a situation such as this can bring to our communities and lesson the impact of it.

Since this situation began to unfold, County officials have been working closely with our local Georgia Department of Public Health office in Jackson to collect and disseminate information related to COVID-19. You will find helpful and timely information from them on their Facebook page under Butts County Health Department. We will also publish general updates here and more time sensitive updates on our Twitter news service @ButtsCountyGa as they become available. Please stay safe and well.

Butts County Government Relations Office