ATLANTA, Ga. (CW69 News at 10) — Malls and businesses in the Atlanta are are opening, but some officials, like Mayor Keisha Bottoms, have said the openings aren’t meant to be a green light to abandon social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Bottoms posted her concerns and message to the public on her Twitter and Facebook pages following reports of people who, in fact, sidelined the guidelines right as many businesses opened on May 4.
She also cited a Forbes article indicating since Georgia has reopened for business, the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the state has increased by 40%.
For those who crowded at Greenbriar awaiting the new Jordans, gathered at Piedmont Pk, shot fireworks at the Mall West End & even those now shopping at Lennox Square Mall, know that the only thing that’s changed about Covid-19 is your chance of catching. https://t.co/kT6dMCFGCQ pic.twitter.com/2XXqTgAztQ
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) May 4, 2020
Bottoms has spoken against the reopening of the state as the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths and confirmed cases continue to increase and as officials work to restore the hard-hit economy.