Mask Mandates Reinstated For Atlanta Public Indoor Spaces

ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta has reinstated the mask mandate for all indoor public places.

Late Wednesday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order requiring that masks be worn inside all public places within the City limits.

The order comes as a response to the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country as the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus infects unvaccinated and vaccinated people.

“Public health experts overwhelmingly agree, and data has proved, that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this deadly virus,” Bottoms said in a statement. “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.”

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation that people living in areas of high transmission — at least 50 new cases per 100,000 in the last week — wear masks when indoors in public spaces.

Bottoms pointed to that description, and to CDC numbers identifying both Fulton and DeKalb counties where Atlanta is located as high transmission areas.

Data from the Georgia Department of Public Health also indicates high transmission in all but 33 counties in the state between July 8 and 21. Yet Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday afternoon took to social media to urge people to get vaccinated while simultaneously decrying masking requirements.

“Georgia will not lock down or impose statewide mask mandates,” he tweeted. “Nearly all new COVID hospitalizations in Georgia are among the unvaccinated. I encourage all Georgians who have concerns or questions to talk to a medical provider and get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

Atlanta Public Schools last week announced mask requirements for all students and staff as in-person classes resume next month. The DeKalb County School District — which has some schools in Atlanta — in June relaxed its mask-wearing protocols to only require masking on buses, before updating them weeks later to mandate masks for elementary-aged children for whom there was no available COVID vaccine.

Fulton County Schools announced in May that masking was “strongly recommended” but not a requirement. The district, however, has no schools inside the City of Atlanta.