Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said Tuesday in his weekly COVID-19 media briefing that the next step after requiring masks in his city may be returning to a shutdown.
Johnson said COVID-19 cases started gradually in Savannah in the early months, with 266 confirmed cases in May. The drastic climb in cases during the summer has led to the administration considering more restrictive measures to contain the virus. Georgia hit a somber milestone Sunday, when the number of coronavirus deaths surpassed 3,000.
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“In May, we had 266 confirmed cases for the entire month of May. In June, we had 809 cases. To this date in July, we’ve had more than 1,000 cases, new cases,” Johnson said Tuesday.
Many have pointed to the growing number of people being tested as the cause of the city’s spike, but during the briefing, according to news station WJCL’s report, Johnson pointed out the statistics that dispute that theory.
“In early June, approximately 4% of tests that the coastal health district administered was positive for COVID-19, and that number is now around 9.5%,” Johnson said.
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The Savannah Chatham Public Schools system recently moved to keep classes digital for all students in the fall semester. While keeping that population contained at home is handled, the mayor said Tuesday he would have to possibly shutter businesses and restrict more public activity “if our medical professionals, our epidemiologists, our health partners at the health district and across the country tell us that we are in an unattainable situation that requires a shutdown.
“I know tough times do not last, tough people do. Although we might be weary, we might be worn, we’re going to keep the faith, we’re going to follow the science,” Johnson said.
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