Atlanta mayor says city entering “Phase 2” of reopening plan

ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says the city is beginning to enter “Phase 2” of her 5-phase plan to start reopening.

On Wednesday, Bottoms said as of May 24, Atlanta has sustained the “necessary 14-day downward trend in COVID-19 new cases, hospitalizations, and percent of positive test cases while maintaining sufficient hospital and critical care bed capacity to progress into Phase 2, the “Easing” phase.”

Mayor Bottoms says small, private gatherings are now safe, so long as no more than 10 people are together while practicing social distancing.

Restaurants and shops are still encouraged to focus on curbside and take out orders.

Here are the other guidelines proposed for Phase 2.

Individuals:

• Stay home except for essential trips
• Wear face coverings in public
• Frequent hand washing
• Social distancing
• Small, private gatherings of no more than 10 people, with social distancing

Businesses/Non-Profits:

• To-go and curbside pickups from restaurants and retail establishments
• Continue practicing teleworking
• Frequent cleaning of public and high touch areas

City Government:

• Non-essential City facilities remain closed
• Continue moratorium on special event applications
• Continue communication with local and State authorities to monitor public health metrics

Bottoms said the phase does not include reopening the City of Atlanta government facilities.

“As we continue to monitor the effects of COVID-19, we are now prioritizing a safe transition into Phase 2 of our reopening plan,” Bottoms said. “Data shows that we are in a position to move forward. We encourage Atlantans citywide to continue to follow all precautionary guidelines as community transmission of COVID-19 still poses a threat to our city. As One Atlanta, we will continue to examine data developments and keep the necessities of cautiousness and vigilance at the forefront of our decision-making for the well-being of all those that call Atlanta home.”

Right now, there is no timetable for when the city can move to Phase Three, which includes a plan for restaurants to open dining rooms.

Bottoms said it depends on an ability to test 90 people for every 1,000 citizens per month. They also need 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents.

You can read more about the 5 phases here.

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