Last night, Statesboro Mayor ,Jonathan McCollar, executed a State of Emergency for the City of Statesboro. In that designation, he recommended that bars and restaurants not allow more than 10 patrons in the building at a time and that all public gatherings of more than 10 people be cancelled.
After a day of reports of restaurants and bars ignoring this order, Mayor McCollar sent a stronger warning tonight with a recorded message sent over cell phones to all Statesboro Citizens. In the message, Mayor McCollar recommends that bars that do not sell food should close and restaurants, regardless if they sell alcohol, must go to carry out, delivery and online ordering.
Per CDC recommendations, he wants to prevent any gatherings of more than 10.
If restaurants and bars continue to refuse to comply, they risk a more fatal order from the Mayor.
Many cities have completely shut down all business activity. Mayor McCollar is trying to work with businesses to find ways they can continue to operate and still comply with the CDC recommendations.
He also said all worship services should be cancelled and taken to an online option. Here is a link to instructions on how to live stream worship services and events and stay connected online.
Transcript of the Mayors message tonight
Good evening, Statesboro. This is Mayor Jonathan McCollar. Last night, I declared a state of emergency for the city of Statesboro.
The purpose of this declaration is to ensure we are doing everything we can do to protect the health and safety of our citizens as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout our nation.
I want to urge each of you to continue to exercise good hygiene, wash your hands routinely, and practice social distancing.
As a part of our state of emergency, I recommend local restaurants utilize online order, curbside, carry-out, delivery, and drive-through options.
Bars that do not serve food are recommended to temporarily suspend operations.
All public gatherings of more than 10 people, including worship services and performances, should be canceled or postponed until the health crisis has subsided.
What we do over the next 15 days can help to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the virus.
It is important to remain calm and understanding, practice preventative safety measures, and be considerate when buying supplies – get what you need, but please don’t go overboard.
Don’t lose hope, Statesboro. We are strong. And We can do this. God bless the city of Statesboro and the United States of America.
