ATLANTA — Wednesday marks exactly two years since the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Georgia.
The cases were announced almost six weeks after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first U.S. coronavirus case.
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Fulton County health officials said the first two Georgia cases were a father and his 15-year-old son who tested positive. The father came down with symptoms after a trip to Milan, Italy. The first COVID-19 death was confirmed a week later after a 67-year-old patient died in Cobb County.
Since the first case was confirmed, there have been at least 1,912,239 cases in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s database.
At least 29,832 Georgians have lost their lives to complications from the virus.
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As the number of cases grew during March, new developments were happening every day. Here is a look back at the timeline of major events in the weeks that followed the first cases.
MARCH 2, 2020
Gov. Brian Kemp holds a news conference and confirms the first two cases of coronavirus in Georgia.
MARCH 3, 2020
Fulton County health officials provided new details about the state’s two cases of COVID-19. The Fulton County Board of Health Director, Elizabeth Ford, said a 56-year-old man was traveling to Milan, Italy and when he arrived on Feb. 22, he was not showing symptoms. Several days later, the man came down with some symptoms. His son, who is 15, also later came down with symptoms. The father and son tested positive for COVID-19.
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MARCH 7, 2020
Three additional cases of coronavirus were confirmed to bring the state’s total up to five. The cases were one person from Cobb County, one person from Fulton County and a Polk County woman. The state also reported two more presumptive cases.
MARCH 9, 2020
Gov. Kemp announces the state would set up Hard Labor State Park in Morgan County as an isolation area for COVID-19 patients. On March 10, a Cherokee County COVID-19 victim was transferred to the site.
MARCH 11, 2020
The coronavirus in the beginning of the pandemic hit several cruise ships, including one that had 34 Georgians on it. The passengers were on a cruise ship off the coast of California and they were being transported to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Cobb County. They started to arrive safely at the base on March 11 and went into quarantine.
Also on March 11, the NBA became the first sports league to postpone their season over COVID-19 concerns. Major League Baseball and Major League soccer joined them the next day and the NCAA canceled the Men’s Final Four in Atlanta.
MARCH 12, 2020
Georgia confirmed its first COVID-19 related death. The 67-year-old patient was a man who died at WellStar Kennestone hospital. He tested positive on March 7. The governor’s office says the patient also had underlying medical conditions.
MARCH 13, 2020
As new cases were confirmed and up to 42 cases, Kemp and the Georgia Department of Public Health created a page for COVID-19 cases in Georgia. Kemp also urged all families to take extra precautions with their elderly family members.
The Masters and NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway became the latest sporting events to postpone.
MARCH 14, 2020
Gov. Brian Kemp declared a public health emergency amid the coronavirus outbreak and the virus spreading in Georgia. The governor called for places of worship, schools and others to consider canceling large gatherings. Kemp also called up the National Guard to deploy as many as 2,000 troops to help with the coronavirus response.
MARCH 16, 2020
Gov. Brian Kemp ordered all public schools to close between March 18–31. The governor signed the executive order that all public elementary, secondary, and post-secondary public schools in the state should close.
Piedmont Healthcare announced it will limit visitors at all 11 hospitals in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The University System of Georgia said it would close all residence hall and move to online classes for the rest of the semester.
MARCH 17, 2020
Georgia’s first senior care coronavirus cases were reported. The Retreat at Canton confirmed that three residents and an employee have “tested presumptively positive” for COVID-19.
MARCH 18, 2020
Georgia recorded three more COVID-19 related deaths. The GDPH confirmed two more deaths at a hospital in southwest Georgia. Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany announced that a 42-year-old woman and a 69-year-old woman both died and that they both had preexisting health conditions. Emory Healthcare announced that another patient died at one of their facilities.
MARCH 19, 2020
Gov. Brian Kemp says with a drastic jump in the number of positive coronavirus cases, the state would prioritize who gets tested. Kemp said some medical facilities in the state were overrun with people trying to get tested and the most vulnerable to coronavirus are going to be the priority for testing.
The DPH website also began keeping track of the number of tests and says it will start updating numbers twice a day.
MARCH 23, 2020
Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order to those who are “medically fragile” to shelter in place. The order also banned large gatherings of more than 10 people and ordered bars and nightclubs closed.
MARCH 26, 2020
All of Atlanta’s television stations worked together to bring the people of Georgia “The Governor’s Statewide Town Hall.” The one-hour primetime special aired live on all channels and featured interviews with Gov. Kemp, Dr. Kathleen Toomey and other health officials.
MARCH 31, 2020
Gov. Kemp deployed the Georgia National Guard to assisted living facilities and nursing homes to fight the spread of COVID-19. The guard was sent to specific locations across the state to implement infection control protocols and enhanced sanitation methods.
APRIL 3, 2020
The governor’s statewide shelter-in-place order went into effect. Kemp also ordered that all public schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year. The order included exceptions for grocery stores, medical supplies and takeout dining.
APRIL 8, 2020
Kemp extended the state’s shelter-in-place order through the end of the month. The order was set to expire on April 13.
APRIL 14, 2020
Within one month of the first death, Georgia marked a grim milestone of more than 500 Georgians who lost their lives to COVID-19.
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