Athens Residents Ordered to Shelter in Place

The Athens-Clarke County Commission approved an emergency measure last week requiring residents to stay in their homes with some exceptions, hoping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the county. They also voted to spend at least $3 million to somewhat alleviate the economic impact of closing many businesses to the public, which will throw an untold number of residents out of work at least until Apr. 7, when the “shelter in place” policy will expire unless commissioners renew it—a likely possibility, given that experts believe the threat won’t pass for at least another six weeks or so. But the public health threat of coronavirus was deemed s…