City eyes the next phase of reopening

Non-essential city of Atlanta employees could return to government buildings next month and those buildings could be open to the public by mid-July, according to City Council Staff Director Theo Pace.

Atlanta is operating with a five-phase COVID-19 Response Plan, and is currently in phase 2, which allows businesses to operate with “severe restrictions.” Phase 3 allows for additional businesses to resume operations with restrictions and capacity limitations.

City Council President Felicia Moore said Monday that the administration is making plans for entering phases 4 and 5 — which allow city employees to return to buildings, and public access to those buildings, respectively.

Moore told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday that July is a “very tentative” target date for reopening to the public.

A spokesman for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a statement saying city officials will continue to monitor case data, and that the phased reopening plan was developed by an expert committee. The phases are based upon COVID19 metrics, including the number of cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations.

“All Departments are planning for the reopening of City facilities to additional employees and eventually the public based upon that plan,” the statement says.

Although new COVID-19 variants have reached Georgia, the federal government plans to fund the state’s surveillance of the virus with $6.7 million.

Pfizer coronavirus vaccines are available without appointment at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, meanwhile, and two Atlanta sports teams expect bigger crowds than ever since the pandemic began.