National Guard deploying to Ellijay facility

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer will host the Georgia National Guard tomorrow morning, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in order to perform sanitation on Parkside Ellijay and assist staff with training measures on sanitation and cleaning methods..

Days ago, the National Guard posted an article on their website by Maj. William Carraway. The article stated, “The Georgia National Guard is sending infection-control teams to nursing homes around the state to help limit the spread of COVID-19.”

“Our mission is to assist in disinfecting nursing homes,” said Col. John Till, safety officer for the Georgia Department of Defense, who is training the teams. “We are going to help decontaminate and disinfect rooms in which these citizens are quarantined to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”

As for why they are coming, the Gilmer Public Safety Director Keith Kucera gave a prepared statement today saying, “Gilmer County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) was in contact with GEMA and GA National Guard in reference to a scheduled visit by the National Guard to Gilmer County on Tuesday, 07 April 2020.  The GA National Guard, by request from Parkside Ellijay Nursing Care Center, will be at their site to assist and train staff in the proper techniques of cleaning and disinfecting.  This visit by the National Guard is for preventative measures and training purposes only.  The soldiers on site will demonstrate the proper wearing of decontamination suits and N-95 respirators to the nursing care center staff along with CDC guidance on cleaning specific to nursing homes.  These services have been provided to numerous nursing care centers across the state by the National Guard.  Gilmer County EMA welcomes this visit as these soldiers are here providing a requested humanitarian service to the Parkside Ellijay Nursing Care Center.  We thank them for their service to the State of Georgia and to our Country.”

As they come to Ellijay tomorrow, local authorities are now making comments on the visit as well. The Ellijay Police Department posted to social media today saying, “Knowing our community, especially our online community, we wanted to preemptively get this information out so no one will be alarmed.”

Before the guard appears and citizens begin questioning authorities, County Commission Chairman Paris noted that Gilmer is now under the State’s order for sheltering at this time. Many also recall that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s order overtook local orders by cities and counties.

Working alongside the facility, Carraway’s article stated, “The infection control teams are the latest example of innovation by Georgia National Guard leaders and planners. These teams did not exist a week ago. They follow in the footsteps of the Georgia National Guard’s medical assistance teams (MATS), which are embedded at hospitals across Georgia. The MATs, composed of Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen with backgrounds in medicine and health, were created and employed the past two weeks.”

Parkside Ellijay shares an actual building connection to the Piedmont Emergency Room in Ellijay. Ellijay Police assured citizens during the coming action saying, “All is well. There is no curfew. No one is taking over. No martial law. Just citizen warriors coming to assist local folks with training and information.” Similarly, the City of Woodstock made a public statement of the same activity in there city on social media this morning.

Maj. Gen. Tom Carden, the adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, said in Carraway’s article, “The Georgia National Guard stands ready to assist any long-term care facility in this time of need through staff training and implementation of infectious disease control measures. Our training has prepared us to fight this virus, and we are eager to lend a hand in this battle.”