Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signaled Wednesday she will place Georgia’s capital city under a mandatory mask order amid the COVID-19 pandemic, joining Athens and Savannah on a list of Georgia cities where masking is now required.
The Atlanta order comes in the face of continued opposition by Gov. Brian Kemp to issuing a statewide mandatory masking order, even as officials and health experts urge people to wear masks in public.
The new mask requirement in Atlanta also comes after Bottoms announced she and several of her family members had tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week, though she has not experienced any symptoms.
Details about the order were not immediately available Wednesday. Bottoms said she would issue an order in an MSNBC interview Wednesday morning.
As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 104,000 people in Georgia had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. It had killed 2,922 Georgians.
City officials in Savannah, Athens, and the suburban Atlanta city of East Point have also issued mask-wearing requirements in recent days, as health experts warn positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have edged up in Georgia following the Memorial Day holiday in late May.
The decision by Bottoms puts Atlanta at odds with Kemp, whose own statewide executive orders on COVID-19 allow him to override any local mandates such as for masking.
Kemp’s office did not immediately respond when asked whether he may seek to overrule an Atlanta order.
Speaking on MSNBC, Bottoms said she had asked the governor to let Atlanta impose its own mask mandate but that “he refused.” She labeled state officials’ approach to loosening business and distancing restrictions in recent months as “very irresponsible.”
“The fact of the matter is that COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on our cities, specifically black and brown communities with higher death rates,” Bottoms said. “And we will never be able to reopen our schools and our economy if we don’t take some responsibility for what we can do as leaders to make sure that people aren’t exposed to this virus.”
The governor has held off on imposing a statewide mask requirement despite mounting pressure from many local officials and health experts to do so.
In remarks Tuesday to municipal and county government associations, Kemp called on local leaders to raise awareness over the importance of wearing masks and washing hands, rather than imposing any mandates.
“We don’t need a mandate to have Georgians do the right thing,” Kemp said. “But we do need to build strong, public support.”
The governor has opted instead to tour the state in a bid to urge mask wearing and launched a marketing campaign this week encouraging reopened businesses to adopt safe distancing, cleaning and masking practices.
Bottoms announced Monday she had tested positive for COVID-19, marking the most high-profile public official in Georgia to contract the virus. She said she did not know where she might have been exposed but criticized the slow eight-day turnaround time for her test results.
“The fact that we can’t quickly get results back so that other people are not unintentionally exposed is the reason we are continuing in this spiral with COVID-19,” Bottoms said.
She noted Atlanta city hall has been closed since March but that she had recently been in close proximity to the city’s police chief, fire chief and other staff.
The mayor’s announcement also comes as she grapples not only with the city’s response to coronavirus but also a spate of violence centered around a burned-down Wendy’s that has been a focal point for recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
The fatal shooting Saturday night of an eight-year-old girl, Secoriea Turner, near the Wendy’s restaurant sparked swift condemnation from Bottoms and other officials including the governor.
Kemp has placed Georgia under a state of emergency through Monday (July 13) in response to Turner’s death and vandalism at the state Department of Public Safety headquarters in Atlanta.
Atlanta authorities said Turner was shot and killed when a group of armed people opened fire on the car in which she was riding across the street from the Wendy’s, located south of downtown.
The Wendy’s was burned down amid protests shortly after the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, during an altercation with Atlanta police outside the restaurant in mid-June. Since then, the site has been frequented by armed persons who at times have barricaded the property, according to police.
ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., goes after the “radical left” and the defunding the police movement with two 30-second TV ads released Wednesday.
In the first ads of the general election campaign between Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, the first-term GOP senator asserts that, contrary to the message delivered during the recent street protests, America remains “the shining city on the hill,” an example other nations admire.
“It’s up to us to protect what the rest of the world envies: economic opportunity for everybody, limited government, individual liberty,” he says in an ad entitled “Patriot.”
In “Justice,” Perdue acknowledges the U.S. needs police reform. But he takes aim at the idea of taking resources away from police agencies.
Instead, he calls for some of the same approaches advocated in the Senate Republican version of police reform legislation now pending on Capitol Hill.
“Our officers need to look more like the communities they serve,” he says in the ad. “De-escalation training is a must. Body cameras would help. Real police reform will make all of our neighborhoods safer and ensure justice for all.”
Majority Democrats in the U.S. House agree conceptually with many of the strategies contained in the Senate Republican bill. But while legislation the House passed in June would require police departments to adopt such police reforms, the Senate version would use incentives to encourage voluntary reforms.
Perdue won the Republican nomination for a second six-year Senate term last month, running unopposed.
Ossoff emerged with the Democratic nod from a crowded primary field, avoiding an August runoff by winning nearly 53% of the vote.
Georgia Power Co. won approval Tuesday to recover $7.7 million in costs related to COVID-19.
ATLANTA – Georgia’s energy regulating board voted narrowly Tuesday to let Georgia Power Co. recover from customers $7.7 million in costs associated with its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The state Public Service Commission signed off on the Atlanta-based utility’s request 3-2 despite a recommendation from the agency’s staff to deny the proposal.
Georgia Power submitted the request to cover expenses in March, April and May due to COVID-19, including cleaning supplies and services, personal protective equipment, employee overtime and meal vouchers for front-line workers.
“These costs are necessary to protect our workers who maintain the reliability of electric service essential to our local communities and state through this pandemic,” Georgia Power spokesman John Kraft said. “Similar to storm cost recovery, these pandemic-related costs will be deferred for consideration in the company’s 2022 base rate case.”
“Few things are more vital to society than electricity,” commission Chairman Chuck Eaton added. “The vote today ensures Georgia Power will have the medical technology and resources available for its frontline workers to prevent COVID-19 power blackouts.”
Eaton joined commissioners Tim Echols and Tricia Pridemore in supporting Georgia Power’s request.
Commissioners Lauren “Bubba” McDonald and Jason Shaw voted against it based on the PSC staff’s assertion that the utility shouldn’t be entitled to the money.
Rob Trokey, director of the commission’s Electric Unit, told commissioners Georgia Power realized some savings because of COVID-19 as well as higher costs and failed to demonstrate that its costs exceeded those savings.
He also argued that the effects of the pandemic on Georgia Power should be weighed against its impact on its residential and business customers.
“Burdening customers with additional costs that have not been adequately demonstrated, staff doesn’t believe is justified,” Trokey said.
The largest portion of Georgia Power’s costs related to coronavirus – nearly $4.1 million – came in April. The utility’s COVID-related expenses in May fell to $3.3 million.
One of the graphics available for businesses as part of the governor’s “Georgia Safety First” COVID-19 safety awareness campaign. (State of Georgia image)
Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has launched a marketing campaign for Georgia businesses to show they are keeping up good social distancing, sanitizing and masking practices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The voluntary campaign comes as Kemp and state health officials continue urging Georgians to wear masks in public, though the governor has steered clear of issuing any mandatory mask-wearing order.
Kemp has faced mounting pressure from health experts and many local officials to take more mandatory measures on masks after steadily loosening restrictions on businesses and social gatherings since May.
He was scheduled Tuesday for conference calls with President Donald Trump and governors to discuss the coronavirus response, as well as with local government officials, business owners and faith-based leaders to talk about Georgia’s health guidelines.
“As we continue to fight COVID-19, we want to ensure Georgia businesses and the public are abiding by public health guidance in order to keep Georgia healthy and open for business,” Kemp said in a statement.
Per the “Georgia Safety Promise” campaign, businesses can request signs and graphics to post on their premises or social media. The idea is to show a business’ commitment to washing hands, wearing masks, sanitizing surfaces and having patrons and employees keep six feet apart.
The aim is to spread awareness of the importance of following health guidelines in Georgia amid a recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations following Memorial Day weekend.
“The promise to practice social distancing, to wear a face covering in public and to wash your hands is a small commitment that will have a powerful, positive impact on the future of our state,” said Georgia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey.
The campaign’s purpose is also to inject more consumer confidence in businesses struggling to rebound from the economic fallout of the pandemic.
“Businesses can think of the [campaign] as a complimentary marketing asset that will help communicate your commitment to your patrons’ health and well-being,” said Karen Bremer, CEO of the Georgia Restaurant Association.
“I hope every business in Georgia takes advantage of this opportunity and, in turn, sees a growth in sales and overall customer confidence,” Bremer said.
ATLANTA – All University System of Georgia (USG) students, faculty, staff and visitors to the system’s 26 college and university campuses will be required to wear masks starting July 15.
USG officials announced the new policy Monday, basing the decision on a recent policy revision by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC no longer gives a minimum age for those at risk of contracting COVID-19.
The policy states that wearing masks is not a substitute for social distancing, which will continue to be required where possible. There are some exceptions to the policy.
“Face coverings are not required in one’s own dorm room or suite, when alone in an enclosed office or study room, or in campus outdoor settings where social distancing requirements are met,” the policy states.
“Anyone not using a face covering when required will be asked to wear one or must leave the area. Repeated refusal to comply with the requirement may result in discipline through the applicable conduct code for faculty, staff or students.”
Also, people suffering from one or more of a series of underlying documented medical conditions will be allowed to request an exemption from the mask-wearing requirement.
The list includes obesity, serious heart disease, asthma, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and pregnancy.
