CAIRO — Next week’s meeting of the Cairo City Council has been canceled due to the coronavirus and will not be rescheduled.

“There was nothing pressing,” said City Manager Chris Addleton, who reached the decision following consultation with Mayor pro tem Jerry Cox. “This is out of an abundance of caution and just to reinforce to the community that we are taking the emergency declaration seriously. That’s why we’re canceling.”

Governor Brian Kemp announced Wednesday that a statewide public health state of emergency will be extended through May 13. The order encourages Georgians to shelter in place at their homes and follow social distancing guidelines from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Recent city council meetings on March 23 and 27 were not attended by members of the public. Council members each sat at least six feet apart, with some council members and city staff sitting in seats normally reserved for spectators.

The council has not met since the March 27 emergency meeting, which was called to ratify a joint declaration of a state of emergency with Grady County and the City of Whigham that since has been superseded by Kemp’s order.

At least 16 cases of COVID-19 have been positively identified in Grady County as of Friday afternoon, according to the Grady County Health Department. No deaths have been attributed to the virus in the county.

The city council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Monday, April 27. Addleton said that meeting is currently set to take place as planned.