Following a new mask mandate in the city of Atlanta, Brookhaven and Dunwoody officials say there are no current plans to reinstate citywide mask mandates.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms reinstated Atlanta’s mask mandate in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the Omicron variant. As of Dec. 22, there have been 26,012 cases in the past two weeks, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. DeKalb County has had 2,266 cases in the past two weeks.
Brookhaven spokesperson Burke Brennan said no decision has been made on reinstating a mask mandate in the city, but the city will continue to monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The city returned to in-person City Council meetings on Dec. 14, but the city’s current COVID-19 emergency ordinance allows the city the ability to return to virtual meetings if needed. Brennan said a decision about whether that will be necessary will be made closer to the date of the next council meeting, which is Jan. 11, 2022.
Brennan said employees at City Hall are required to wear masks within the building.
Dunwoody spokesperson Jennifer Boettcher said Dunwoody has no plans to return to a mask mandate. Mayor Lynn Deutsch sent out a message about COVID-19 in the city’s weekly newsletter where she urged residents to be careful.
“Over the last several days, I am hearing of many Dunwoody families who are being impacted by COVID,” Deutsch said in the email. “Many of you have reached out to me and asked how I am managing this recent surge. My family is vaccinated. We are masking in crowded indoor situations. I am masking while shopping and washing my hands all the time.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance states that vaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors in public if they are in an area of substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. As of Dec. 22, DeKalb County is considered an area of high transmission.
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