Atlanta mayor lifts mask mandate, many COVID-19 restrictions eased
ATLANTA - Mayor Andre Dickens announced rolls back for some COVID-19 restrictions and lifted the mask mandate for the City of Atlanta.
The news comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined a new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.
The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC’s risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.
Several agencies have announced changes to the COVID-19 policies and procedures after that announcement.
"Advances in life-saving vaccines, downward trends in cases and—most importantly—the vigilance and resilience of the Atlanta community have all brought us to this new space of hope. As we continue to rely on data and science, Atlanta remains forever grateful for our public health professionals, our healthcare workers and our frontline workers who continue to give their all so that we may begin this optimistic path toward our new normal." Mayor Dickens said in a statement Friday.
Although the city’s indoor mask mandate has been lifted, masks will still be required at public meetings and programs in city facilities.
SCHOOLS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS UPDATE MASK POLICIES FOLLOWING NEW CDC RECOMMENDATIONS
Public Agencies affiliated with the City such as Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., will resume in-person meetings.
The moratorium on residential evictions and filings for housing units and developments funded through the city or county remains in place.
City Hall has updated its HVAC and air circulation to address air quality and particles. Other city facilities will soon follow.
The agency is still advising people, including schoolchildren, to wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high.
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