Though the University System of Georgia isn’t mandating masks for the fall semester, other places around the state are doing so. Mary Beth McKenna, director of religious education, checks a position for signs on Saturday, May 23, 2020, ahead of daily Mass resuming at St. Benedict Catholic Church. HYOSUB SHIN / [email protected]
By Zachary Hansen
Some cities loosen restrictions, while others say it’s too soon
For more than a year, most DeKalb County cities have required masks when walking around crowded shopping centers or perusing businesses.
Renewing those mask mandates became a monthly tradition for city councils. But city leaders are rethinking their COVID-19 safety protocols after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosened its guidelines for vaccinated people.
A few canceled their mandates shortly after the CDC’s new guidelines were announced last week, while others are holding tight and waiting for the summer to reevaluate their plans.
“No change in Clarkston. Our mask ordinance is still in effect,” Clarkston City Manager Robin Gomez said. He also provided a picture of a recently issued flyer the city is using to remind residents about its mandate.
This is a picture of signs placed in Clarkston to remind citizens of the city’s mask mandate. Credit: City of Clarkston
Mayor Beverly Burks added that city leaders don’t intend to discuss lifting the mask mandate during the next meeting or two. She said they plan to begin mitigating mask requirements over the summer.
“We’re following the science and the recommendations of the CDC, and we’re using that and incorporating that into our plan that we have as a city,” she said.
Decatur is taking a similar approach. On Monday, the City Commission extended its mask mandate through June 21. City Manager Andrea Arnold said that’s primarily because children were recently approved for vaccination.
“Considering that vaccination has just been made available to children ages 12 to 15, we believe that it would be prudent to wait about another four-to-five weeks to allow for anybody ages 12 and up to get that opportunity to be fully vaccinated,” she said during the meeting.
Tucker is one of the few metro Atlanta cities that never issued a mask mandate. City spokesman Matt Holmes said in an email that, “The best course for Tucker was education and advocacy, rather than a mandate.” He encouraged residents to follow the advice of the CDC.
Dunwoody was the first DeKalb city to expire its mandate last Friday. Mayor Lynn Deutsch said the city tied its ordinance to the number of new cases in the county. Once the case number dropped below 100 cases per 100,000 people for a two-week period, the ordinance was lifted.
“You, your friends, your family members and your neighbors may choose to wear masks long after they are required. This is absolutely OK,” she said on Facebook. “We all have our own comfort levels as we enter this next phase of the health crisis.”
Chamblee tied its mandate’s expiration to Georgia’s State of Emergency rather than infection ratios, so a city spokeswoman said their mandate is still in effect. She added that city leaders are discussing adapting that policy in light of the new CDC guidelines.
Doraville also plans to roll back all pandemic-related resolutions Wednesday, according to Mayor Joseph Geierman. He cited the decline in cases and the new CDC guidelines for the decision to end those restrictions at this point, adding that individual businesses can choose to keep mask requirements.
“It’s important to note that this change to city policy would do nothing to prevent our businesses from establishing whatever safety policies they want to,” he said in an email. “If a business wants to continue mandating masks or limiting capacity, they are completely free to do so.”
Brookhaven, which plans to throw a summer block party at the end of July, set its mask mandate to expire in mid-June. Restaurants there can now operate at full capacity.
Read the original story on AJC.com.
