CAIRO — Businesses across Georgia are gradually reopening as statewide emergency orders put in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus are beginning to expire, and government meetings in Grady County are no different.

Public meetings of the Grady County Board of Commissioners will resume Tuesday, May 5 at 9 a.m. County Administrator Buddy Johnson said the commissioners will maintain caution in conducting their business and will require six feet of social distance for matters which do not necessitate close contact.

County Recreation Department facilities will remain closed for the time being, Johnson said. All other county services remain open and available with social distancing precautions in place.

Meanwhile, the Cairo City Council is scheduled to conduct its own public meeting on Monday, May 11. City Manager Chris Addleton said that meeting will be open to the public and social distancing guidelines will continue to be followed. If a crowd begins to form, Addleton said attendance at the meeting may be limited.

Public access to city government buildings, such as the utilities office, will remain limited until Friday, May 15. The buildings will then reopen as normal the following Monday.

In the mean time, the utilities office drive through will remain open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Payments also can be made online at syrupcity.net.

City residents who have questions about their utilities accounts can call the utilities office at (229) 377-1722.

At least 63 cases of COVID-19 have been positively identified in Grady County as of Friday morning, according to the Grady County Health Department. Three county residents are known to have died from the virus. The state Department of Public Health had previously reported that four Grady County residents had died of the virus, but it was later determined that one of the individuals did not live in the county.

Elsewhere in Grady County, the Southwest Public Health District announced Friday that free specimen collections for COVID-19 testing will be available by appointment this weekend.

Individuals looking to be tested can call (229) 352-6567 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday or 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to determine if they qualify for an appointment. In order to qualify, individuals must exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, be age 60 or older, be a caregiver for an elderly individual or immune-compromised individual, be a first responder or healthcare worker, be a patient with a serious chronic medical condition or someone who is immune-compromised, work or live in a congregate setting or be an employee who requires testing in order to return to work.

The specimen collection will be conducted between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday.

Specimen collections also will be available in Dougherty, Thomas and Decatur counties.