COVID cases are on the rise, so Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces new regulations
An executive order has been signed by Atlanta’s Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, requiring all people to wear a masks indoors. The new mandate includes private businesses, eateries, and establishments, and applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status.
In Georgia alone, COVID-19 cases are up 203 percent over the last two weeks. This has been linked to the highly contagious Delta variant, more commonly spread among unvaccinated individuals.
Mayor @KeishaBottoms issued an Executive Order requiring masks to be used while in indoor facilities. For more info, visit: https://t.co/AofWgJBG20 pic.twitter.com/GE8G4cGo0J
— City of Atlanta, GA (@CityofAtlanta) July 29, 2021
The Delta variant has been passed to vaccinated individuals. However, hospitalization and serious illness is less likely. Only 38 percent of eligible Georgians are fully vaccinated, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This new mandate was put in place on Wednesday evening, and applies to all those who eat or drink out at Atlanta’s bars and restaurants, unless they are actively eating and/or drinking. A lot of restaurants were already implicating their own regulations concerning masks, vaccination status, social distancing, etc.
There are fines of up to $50 for individual noncompliance. Retail stores and restaurants have the right to ask people for proof of vaccination or health-related questions under the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). Individuals have the right to refuse to provide that information upon request. However, it is not a violation to be asked for proof, or needed information to imply with not only the state law, but any additional regulations the businesses have in place.
Check out the full executive order from Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, here.
Featured image: Guac Y Margys Instagram