Several communities in DeKalb cancel events

One city bars public from going in person to its meetings.

A handful of popular community events across DeKalb County were canceled or postponed Thursday due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has urged elderly residents and people with weakened immune systems to avoid large crowds where they could contract the disease caused by coronavirus.

The cancellations hit several cities in DeKalb. One city also barred members of the public from showing up in person to public meetings.

■ Brookhaven: The Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival, the city’s popular spring celebration, was planned for the last weekend in March. Officials announced Thursday the festival, and a 5K race scheduled for a week earlier, will no longer happen.

■ Avondale Estates: All public events that were permitted by the city for the remainder of March and April will be postponed or canceled, the city announced Thursday. The city’s Municipal Court is also suspended “until further notice.”

In-person attendance at upcoming public meetings is prohibited for residents, the city said. Board of Mayor and Commissioners meetings will be available through livestream, and residents can call in through a “teleconference number.”

■ Dunwoody: Mayor Lynn Deutsch’s “State of the City” address, scheduled for Thursday evening at Dunwoody United Methodist Church, was canceled Thursday afternoon “in light of new developments today regarding public events and COVID-19,” the city said in a tweet.

■ Chamblee: All “special events” for the next month, including Chamblee Restaurant Week and the Atlanta United Watch Party, are canceled, the city said in a statement. Regular public gatherings, like Chamblee 101, Police Cadet classes and park cleanups, are suspended for 30 days beginning at the end of the day today.

■ Doraville: Mayor Joseph Geierman told City Council and staff that the Doraville Business Forum scheduled for next Tuesday has been postponed “out of an abundance of caution for public health.” The event was set to bring together businesses and commercial property owners for a discussion with city officials about the business community in Doraville.

Geierman has asked Doraville’s city manager to “quickly come up with a pandemic preparedness plan that will keep the city operational even if a large portion of its workforce falls ill,” he posted on Facebook on March 1. Residents are encouraged to livestream public City Council meetings, city spokesman Douglas Carroll said.

■ Tucker: The popular Tucker Chili Cook-Off, now in its ninth year of operation, is being postponed. The event usually draws thousands to Tucker’s Main Street.

“I was really hoping we would be able to pull it off, but after much discussion we have decided to err on the side of caution and postpone,” said Chili Cook-Off organizer Jamey Wilson. “This was not an easy decision for us to make, but this event attracts thousands of people, and it just didn’t seem worth risking people’s health.”

DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk Debra DeBerry and the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority are canceling two free notary training sessions that were scheduled for today.

“The event is being canceled for the safety and well-being of our community amid the ongoing public health concerns,” DeBerry said in a statement.