VALDOSTA — Lowndes County and Valdosta have been earmarked for emergency grant money to help with efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grants have been made available under the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program, according to a statement released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Middle District of Georgia office.

Lowndes will get $58,008, while Valdosta will get $53,365.

In Georgia, 16 counties and cities have already been marked as grant recipients. Elsewhere in South Georgia, Tift County is earmarked for $58,008, while the City of Tifton will get $47,405, according to justice department records.

Jurisdictions have considerable latitude in the use of these funds for dealing with COVID-19. Potential uses include hiring personnel, paying overtime, purchasing protective equipment, distributing resources to hard-hit areas and addressing inmates’ medical needs, the justice department statement said. 

Altogether, almost $1.65 million was allocated to the 16 jurisdictions, according to the statement.

Any Georgia cities or counties not specifically listed which are interested in receiving funding can find updated information from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council at https://bja.ojp.gov/program/cesf/state-and-local-allocations. The Justice Department is awarding grants on a rolling basis and wants to have funds available for drawdown as soon as possible after receiving applications, the statement said.