Doraville lifts COVID restrictions following CDC’s new guidance
Following Center for Disease Control and Prevention May 13 announcement of relaxations in COVID-19 guidelines for vaccinated individuals, Doraville officials have passed laws easing COVID-19 restrictions.
CDC’s recent guidance states that fully vaccinated people do not have to follow social distancing measures or wear masks indoors, with few exceptions.
Doraville City Council on May 19 was the first DeKalb city to lift ordinances that were put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, basing their decision on the CDC guidelines, increasing rates of vaccination, and the declining rate of positive cases in DeKalb County.
“We felt it was the right time to take this action, because the CDC has indicated that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks to protect themselves or others and rates of infection in our county have dropped significantly,” stated Mayor Joseph Geierman. “Between the CDC’s guidance and the very low case count, we are confident that now is the time to loosen our restrictions. We will continue to monitor caseloads in the city and county and adjust policy if it becomes necessary again.”
The repeal on restrictions includes the mask requirements and social distancing guidelines for local establishments. Businesses may implement their own mask requirements and capacity limits at their discretion.
Contrarily, Decatur City Commission at its May 17 meeting extended its COVID restrictions ordinance, which state that masks must be worn when entering any building in the city and when outside if six-feet distance cannot be maintained.
City Schools of Decatur Superintendent Maggie Fehram said May 14 that the district will continue its mandatory mask policy.
“After consultation with members of the Teachers Advisory Council, principals, district leaders, and members of the board, I have decided that we will keep our mandatory mask policy in place for the remainder of the current school year for staff and students.,” stated Fehram. “We also ask that any visitors to our CSD campuses also follow these guidelines.”
As of May 18, Georgia Department of Public Health reported that DeKalb County has administered 496,592 vaccines, with 221,866 or 30 percent being fully vaccinated. The number of reported COVID positive cases has also decreased 30 percent during the agency’s most recent 14-day period from April 29 to May 12.
