As of today, Wednesday, July 8, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has issued an order requiring Atlanta residents to wear face masks to combat the spread of COVID-19.
What We Know:
- Mayor Bottoms and her husband tested positive for COVID on Monday. She had tested negative “about two weeks ago,” but decided to get tested because her husband had been sleeping more than usual.
- She tweeted her test results: “COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.”
- Bottoms noted that Savannah, East Point, and Athens had all challenged Gov. Brian Kemp’s reopening order that encouraged but did not require masks. “Atlanta is going to defy it today,” Bottoms said on the Morning Joe program. “The State of Georgia has been irresponsible in how it opened back up for business.”
- “Coronavirus is affecting black and brown communities and with higher death rates,” Bottoms said. “We’ll never be able to reopen our schools and our economy if we don’t take some responsibility for what we can do as leaders.” She requested scope from Governor Kemp to require face masks in Atlanta, since Fulton County has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state, but he refused.
- A mask ordinance is mandatory with the case numbers rising daily in the hope of controlling the spread of the virus. Bottoms has not provided any specifics about the order, but plans to move forward.
Georgia becomes the ninth state to pass the 100,000 case mark, joining New York, California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Arizona.
