Over the weekend, Georgia surpassed 5,000 COVID-19 related deaths, according to figures released by the Georgia Department of Public Health. As of Aug. 24, the death toll stands at 5,`156 and 256,253 confirmed cases. See the full status report at this link.
MARTA has awarded a contract for the installation of Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) filters into the existing air conditioning units at the transit authority’s office buildings, police precincts, bus garages, and railyard towers. More than 200 AC units at 18 MARTA facilities will receive NPBI devices, which eliminate airborne pathogens and deliver clean air without producing ozone or other harmful by-products.
Bank of America is partnering with 14 local organizations — including Morehouse School of Medicine and Atlanta Public Schools — to provide personal protective equipment, including 146,000 masks. In metro Atlanta, which experienced an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, Bank of America has been working with local partners to provide resources to vulnerable and underserved communities hit hardest by the coronavirus. This donation is part of a nationwide effort by Bank of America to immediately distribute nearly four million PPE masks to communities disproportionally impacted by the coronavirus, including communities of color, and is connected to its $1 billion, four-year commitment of additional support to help local communities address economic and racial inequality accelerated by a global pandemic. This is in addition to the four million masks the company donated earlier this year in cities across the country.
The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer announced that both teams will play scheduled September games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium without fans in attendance given current conditions related to the global pandemic. Team and stadium officials will continue to collaborate with national and local health officials in the coming weeks before deciding on fan attendance at events scheduled later in the fall.
The Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, a joint effort from Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta, today announces the Fund’s seventh round of grants targeted to emergency financial assistance for housing-related costs. To date, the Fund has raised more than $25 million through collective resources. Since the Fund was announced in March, the two organizations have together identified the areas of greatest need and the most vulnerable populations to determine where to deliver funds. This seventh round of grants total $1.125 million and will be distributed to 10 organizations in response to the region’s needs as a result of COVID-19. A grand total of more than $18.425 million from the Fund has been mobilized to benefit 321 nonprofits thus far. A full listing of today’s grants is detailed below. These, as well as those made in the earlier rounds, are listed on both the Community Foundation’s website and United Way’s website. Individuals who wish to contribute to supporting our region’s nonprofits can donate to the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund here. Support funds will be released on a rolling basis throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the crisis.
