Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has signed an Executive Order mandating that masks or face coverings be worn in public in the city. It also prohibits gatherings of more than 10 persons on city of Atlanta property.
According to Bottoms: “We will continue to take active measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 infections in Atlanta.” Bottoms added: “Public health experts overwhelmingly agree that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this sometimes deadly virus.”
The Order is in response to the rising number of COVID-19 infections. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, Georgia had 103,890 confirmed cases of the respiratory illness and 2,722 related deaths according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Bottoms announced earlier this week that she, her husband, and one of their four children had tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Atlanta is the largest city in Georgia to make wearing a mask or face covering a requirement.
The move by Bottoms follows a similar rule in East Point, which was approved by the City Council Monday. The face mask ordinance goes into effect Thursday.
“As the numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to increase, we must take action to ensure that we are doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19,” according to East Point Mayor Deana Holiday-Ingraham. “We must follow the science, data and recommendations of medical experts and do all that we can to save lives and protect the health, welfare and safety of our community.”
Atlanta and East Point are in Fulton County, which has the most cases of COVID-19 in the state, 10,237 as of 7 p.m. Wednesday. The county has had 175 Coronavirus-related deaths.
Athens-Clarke County, which includes the University of Georgia, passed a face mask mandate Monday night.
Savannah became the first Georgia city last week to make the use of masks or face coverings a requirement.
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