Atlanta reinstates indoor mask mandate as omicron spreads

Caption

In May of 2020, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she disagreed with the Georgia governor's decision to reopen many businesses.

Credit: Stephen Fowler / GPB News

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Tuesday reinstated a mask requirement inside stores and other businesses in the city due to rising COVID-19 infections and the emergence of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has quickly become the dominant version of the virus in the U.S.

Bottoms also cited guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for her decision.

"The CDC has designated Fulton and DeKalb counties as areas of high transmission for the COVID-19 virus," the mayor said in a statement. "Given this recent surge across the Atlanta area, and based upon the counsel from public health professionals, I am reinstating the citywide mask mandate."

People who fail to wear a mask indoors could face a fine of $50 for a second offense. Bottoms had lifted the previous mask mandate last month.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen almost 50% in Georgia in the last month, and the number of infections detected continues to accelerate.

Nearly 1,250 patients were hospitalized statewide Tuesday with the respiratory illness. That's well below the record of roughly 6,000 that was reached in early September at the peak of Georgia's fourth surge of virus cases. But it's well above the recent low of 824 patients recorded on Nov. 22. Hospital officials in the state are expecting patient counts to rise with the omicron variant.

CDC officials said Monday that cases of the omicron variant now make up more than 90% of new infections in the Southeast, displacing the once-dominant delta variant.

Much about the omicron coronavirus variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Scientists say omicron spreads even easier than other coronavirus strains, including delta.

Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing an omicron infection. But even without the extra dose, experts say vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death.

Bottoms' latest mask requirement came after Atlanta mayor-elect Andre Dickens said a rapid test Monday showed he had COVID-19. Dickens, who said he was fully vaccinated, was isolating, although he reported feeling well and having mild symptoms.