Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid on Thursday extended the county’s state of emergency through mid-February, saying that the county’s hospitals remain overwhelmed by the rapid spread of COVID’s omicron variant.

The order keeps the county’s emergency operations plan in effect, and allows public meetings to continue to be held online.

“The current surge caused by the omicron variant continues to have serious impacts on our local hospitals,” Cupid said. “Cases remain well above high community spread, and until we get those numbers down we need to encourage residents to take precautions; to continue wearing masks, watching their distance, and washing their hands.”

In a news release announcing the extension, County Manager Jackie McMorris said the mask requirements and social distancing guidelines will expire at the end of January, unless circumstances warrant keeping them in place longer.

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House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones confer before the annual State of the Judiciary Address to a joint session of the House and Senate on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC