ATLANTA — If you live, work or play in the city of Atlanta, you’ll need to do so while wearing a mask.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order requiring everyone in a public place, including private businesses and establishments, to wear a mask or a cloth face covering over their nose and mouth when indoors.
City officials say the order is in response to the rising number of COVID-19 infections, the impact of the Delta variant and new CDC guidance.
“Public health experts overwhelmingly agree, and data has proved, that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this deadly virus,” said Mayor Bottoms. “As COVID-19 rates increase, we must remain vigilant, wear a mask, follow CDC guidelines and other measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities.”
The CDC announced on July 27, that individuals should wear a mask indoors in public if in an area of substantial or high transmission. Both Fulton County and DeKalb County are currently designated as areas of substantial transmission, according to current CDC data.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Bottoms issued a series of executive and administrative orders to minimize the impact of the virus. Those orders can be viewed online here.
You can view the latest executive order here.
The mask requirement comes a day after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp took to social media and said Georgia would not add covid restrictions or have any statewide mask mandates. During the height of the pandemic last year, local leaders like Bottoms attempted to put mask mandates into place, but they were over-ridden by Kemp’s statewide executive order.
That order has expired, and local mayors including Bottoms and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson to issue mask mandates for their communities.
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