Statewide shelter-in-place starts tonight at 6 p.m.

 PRESS RELEASE PICKENS COUNTY GOVERNMENT - After reviewing the latest guidance from state and federal officials, and consulting with the Pickens County Board of Health, the Department of Public Health and Piedmont Mountainside Hospital officials, the Board of Commissioners has extended the local state of emergency and emergency ordinances enacted on March 24, 2020. This declaration will now be in effect through April 30, 2020 at 11:59pm. Please remember a few key items within the emergency ordinances:

All voters will get an absentee ballot application this year

Shelter-in-place orders and the threat of COVID-19 have caused unprecedented changes in our country, including huge changes to this year’s election cycle. As a result, all 6.9 million Georgia voters will receive an absentee ballot application so they can request to vote in the May 19 primary from the safety of their home. 

“Times of turbulence and upheaval like the one we Georgians face require decisive action if the liberties we hold so dear are to be preserved,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “The people of Georgia, from the earliest settlers to heroes like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Congressman John Lewis, have fought too long and too hard for their right to vote to have it curtailed.

Click here to find the 2020 Progress Lawn and Garden Guide, which features informative articles and ads from local businesses.