ATHENS-Athens and Limestone County officials along with Athens-Limestone Hospital and schools held a media briefing on Friday, April 24, at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers to provide an update on the local status in Athens and Limestone County.
Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks
Mayor Ronnie Marks
Mayor Marks will ask the Athens City Council to extend the local emergency resolution to allow him to make emergency decisions as needed through May. This is not related to Gov. Kay Ivey’s State of Emergency, but only impacts Athens.
Athens is working on its re-opening plan for when the State of Alabama re-opens. Mayor Marks said he expects it to be a “cautious” re-opening that is accomplished in phases.
Limestone County EMA Director Rita White
White thanked companies like Steelcase for supporting responders with needed personal protection items. Steelcase is making masks and delivering 50 at a time to EMA to distribute to city and county responders.
Limestone County Commission Chair Collin Daly
Chairman Daly emphasized the importance of people taking time to fill out the 2020 Census. Limestone County’s response rate today is 49.5 percent. The response rate for Athens is 51 percent. The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. Responses also determine congressional representation.
Chairman Daly also commended the community for working together through this pandemic, and thanked his son’s teacher for sending him a handwritten note of encouragement.
Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay
Superintendent Holladay said the system is sending a portfolio of its work to the State Department of Education to show progress made thus far with eLearning. He thanked teachers for finding ways to creatively educate students through the process. Plans are to finish the school year on May 22.
The child nutritional program has provided over 35,000 meals to city and county students the last five weeks. The program averages 3,500 meals each distribution day.
Limestone County Schools Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Brad Lewis
Students continue to work on their digital and/or printed packets. The system is working on its summer activities and preparing for school to start back in August. Kindergarten pre-registration is underway online. Forms are available on each elementary school’s website. Dr. Lewis said the system hopes to have in-person meetings in June with parents of incoming kindergarten students.
He thanked Athens City Schools for partnering with Limestone County on the child nutrition program.
David Pryor
Athens-Limestone Hospital President David Pryor
As of today, there are three patients in the hospital’s ICU who are positive for COVID-19. The hospital has tested and confirmed 34 people with the virus. Limestone County’s overall numbers are 40 because the State totals patient numbers based on county of residence and not testing location.
The hospital’s Fever and Flu Clinic was seeing 60 to 70 people a day for testing when it opened. That has dropped to 10 to 12 a day. Plans are to operate the clinic next week from noon to 4 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Mr. Pryor said it was expected local numbers would peak this week, but Limestone County is holding at 40. He commended the community for wearing masks, sanitizing, staying home when possible, and maintaining a distance when in public.
He called COVID-19 an “unpredictable disease” and said some who test positive do not have symptoms, which means they can spread the disease without realizing it.
He bragged on the hospital staff saying it is “remarkable what I’ve seen our hospital staff do” to respond to this pandemic.
