Goodwill, overwhelmed with donations, will stop accepting items

DECATUR, Ga. - People who are spring cleaning while at home amid the coronavirus outbreak will soon be blocked from donating to a nonprofit organization in Georgia.

Goodwill of North Georgia will stop accepting donations after Saturday, according to a statement on its website. The organization’s 65 stores across 45 counties have been overwhelmed with secondhand items.

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The planned shutdown comes shortly after the group closed its stores last month for two weeks, according to news outlets. That closure was due to public safety concerns from the virus.

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Stores had since partially reopened and encouraged contactless donations, in which donors would pop their trunks, workers would take out items to be donated and then leave a receipt. Donors who insisted on unloading their own items could do so in a designated area.

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Know how the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting Georiga

Best prevention measures:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least twenty seconds.

• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

RESOURCES:

Symptoms, testing and how to prepare amid growing COVID-19 outbreak