Dawson County under Tropical Storm Warning, County offices on two-hour delay
News, Press Release October 28, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — Due to anticipated bad weather from the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, the County Manager David Headley has issued a two-hour delay for Dawson County Government Offices, not including the courts, for Thursday, October 29. Please confirm with the Clerk of Courts office regarding their hours. Their website is: http://www.dawsonclerkofcourt.net/ and phone number: (706) 344-3510.
The National Weather Service has placed Dawson County under a Tropical Storm Warning for the next 36 hours. We are expecting 2-4 inches (up to 6 inches) of additional rainfall and 20-40mph sustained winds (40-60mph gusts) between 3 a,m. and noon Thurssday.
We encourage everyone to stay weather aware and that if you must drive in the rain to turn your lights on. Citizens can sign-up to receive emergency notifications from Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services here: https://www.smart911.com/smart911/registration/registrationLanding.action?cdnExternalPath=
Should there be any changes, citizens can check our Facebook page or the website for updates.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Dawson County, National Guard opened drive-thru COVID-19 test site Sunday
News April 27, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. – Georgia has lagged behind many states in the number of COVID-19 tests administered but, with the help of the National Guard, Dawson County is doing its part to change that.
With the state ranked 39th per capita in COVID-19 testing, Dawson County opened a drive-thru testing facility Sunday morning at Rock Creek Park.
Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services Director Danny Thompson said, “We’ve heard the voices of the community. We have been working with our public health, with the National Guard for several weeks now to make this happen.”
The state is partnering with counties for developing the test kits and laboratory testing. Results of the tests should be ready in three to four days.
County Commission Chairman Billy Thurmond was among the first to be tested Sunday. “We’re proud to have the National Guard here and proud to be able to offer testing to our citizens,” he said. “We’re going to work hard to try and protect or citizens the best we can and try to get everybody through this pandemic. We will come out on the other side. Our citizens have done a real good job of following the guidelines. I’m very proud of the citizens of Dawson County. They have really stepped up and followed the guidelines from the beginning.”
The test is completely voluntary and is the nasopharyngeal swab to test for presence of Wuhan SARS COV-2 (Corona) virus and the test is available at no cost to patients. Test results will be available in 3-4 days.
Up-to-date information on the date and hours of the next testing can be obtained by visiting the Dawson County Government or Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services Facebook pages.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Dawson County, National Guard open COVID-19 specimen collection site
News April 25, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
DAWSONVILLE, GA – Dawson County’s Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard will open a COVID-19 specimen collection site Sunday (Apr. 26) at Rock Creek Park to assist in Governor Kemp’s call for increased testing.
The State of Georgia has partnered with Augusta Medical for developing kits
and laboratory testing. The site will start testing patients at 10 a.m. on Sunday and remain open until 2 p.m. or until they have run out of test kits.
There are two ways to be tested at this site:
• Patients may go directly to Rock Creek Park and request to be tested without seeing a physician first.
• The National Guard will collect a specimen for any individual requesting a test.
• Patients will receive results within 72-96 hours.
• Patients are seen by their Primary Care Physician (PCP) OR the Dawson County Public Health Department.
• These appointments can be tele-med or conducted via phone interview.
• The PCP or Public Health Department will generate a PUI number.
• Once the patient has the PUI number, they can report to the collection site.
• Patients will receive results within 72-96 hours.
Rock Creek Park is located at 445 Martin Road, Dawsonville.
Laura Fulcher
The days and times the test site will be open will vary depending on the availability of test kits. For the most up-to-date information concerning the days and hours of operation for the test site patients can call (706) 344-3666.
Information can also be found on the Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services and Dawson County Government Facebook pages.
Together we can stop further spread of COVID-19 in our county and save lives.
The CDC says “The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.”
Please continue to:
• Practice social distancing – keep at least 6 feet between yourself and other people.
• Wash your hands – use soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer (60% alcohol) if soap and water aren’t readily available.
• Wear a mask – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the use of face
masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, especially where social distancing is difficult to maintain (grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.), and especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
For questions, please contact Laura Fulcher at (706) 344-3501.
COVID-19 section has been added to Dawson County website
News March 14, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
The well-being and safety of our citizens is our top priority. We strive to do what we can to help keep our community and our families safe and healthy. Dawson County has remained in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and other federal and state agencies since February to monitor developments and updated guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19).
Out of an abundance of caution, several Dawson County departments have made the decision to follow the guidance of Governor Kemp to temporarily postpone non-essential services. We have established a COVID-19 section (https://www.dawsoncounty.org/pr/page/covid-19-coronavirus-dawson-county-updates) on our website for the most up-to-date information concerning changes to hours of operations and event cancellations. Important links and documents can also be found in this section.
We apologize for any inconvenience these closures and cancellations may cause, especially to those who have long enjoyed and relied on Dawson County’s recreation services. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we try to balance our ability to provide public services while preserving public safety.
The County will continue to assess the situation and communicate any further changes as quickly as possible. Please check the County’s website (https://www.dawsoncounty.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DawsonCountyGovernment) and Twitter page (https://twitter.com/DawsonCoGov) for the latest information on Dawson County’s response to COVID-19.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com