The COVID-19 pandemic was first detected in the U.S. state of Georgia on March 2, 2020. The state's first death came ten days later on March 12. As of April 17, 2021[update], there were 868,163 confirmed cases, 60,403 hospitalizations, and 17,214 deaths.[1] All of Georgia's 159 counties now report COVID-19 cases, with Gwinnett County reporting over 85,000 cases and the next three counties (Fulton, Cobb and DeKalb) now reporting over 56,000 cases each.[1]
Governor Brian Kemp declared an "unprecedented" public health emergency on March 14[2][3] and ordered on March 16 that all public schools, colleges, and universities in the state close from March 18 through the start of April.[4] COVID-19 was first detected in a prison inmate on March 20.[5] On March 23, gatherings of over 10 people were banned, bars and nightclubs were ordered to close, and a shelter-in-place order for the "medically fragile" was issued.[6] On April 2, a statewide shelter in place order was announced.[7]
On March 23, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed a 14-day stay-at-home order to direct all city residents to stay at home except for performing essential tasks through April 7.[8][9] This followed a city-wide state of emergency on March 15 prohibiting "large public gatherings of more than 250 people"[10] and a March 20 order for businesses to close.[11] The city of South Fulton instituted a curfew on March 17, requiring residents to stay at home from 6:00 PM to 7:00 AM (with work and medical exceptions) and barring gatherings of more than ten people.[12] On March 23, DeKalb County enacted a "voluntary curfew".[13]Savannah issued a shelter-in-place order on March 24.[14]
As of September 2, 2021[update], Georgia has administered 9,882,512 COVID-19 vaccine doses, and has fully vaccinated 4,444,517 people, equivalent to 42.72 percent of the population.[15]