Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said the City of Atlanta is making ongoing preparations for any health threats posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) after the first two cases of the infection in Georgia were confirmed in Fulton County.
“The full efforts of the city are invested in the urgent and deliberate coordinated response with federal and state partners this health threat demands,” Bottoms said in a statement. “City officials—including those appointed to the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force—are working in concert to ensure the well-being of the people of Atlanta. Further, information and additional resources have been posted to the city’s website. Atlanta residents should be safe and protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Last month, the Mayor’s Pandemic Coordination Team was created to lead strategic planning to ensure minimal impact to the city in the case of a COVID-19 pandemic. The team is led by the city’s Chief Health Officer, Dr. Angelica Geter Fugerson, and the city’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and former FBI Special Agent, Felipe den Brok. The Work Group is an inter-departmental effort with the mission of ensuring city operations continuity and public safety readiness.
In January, efforts were implemented directing the city’s Department of Enterprise Assets Management (DEAM) to work with their janitorial team to conduct continuous sanitizing and cleaning of all entry points and touch points (handrails, door knobs, etc.) throughout city facilities
The city has also posted prevention information and additional resources related to COVID-19 on its website here.
Chief among the city’s guidance to residents and visitors are the following preventative measures:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you have recently returned from a country with ongoing COVID-19 infections monitor your health and follow the instructions of public health officials
Recommended CDC safety guidelines can be found online here.
Atlanta Public Schools are also closely monitoring all developments and district officials are staying in close contact with local, state and federal agencies to track development, a release from the district said.
APS said any school closings will be led by the federal government and the district is receiving guidance from agencies for potential emergency closures.
“I read news reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for all schools in his country to be closed through the spring holidays,” APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said on a Feb. 27 post on her blog. “As an educator – even one 7,000 miles away from Japan – that gives me concern and pause.”
Carstarphen also said the district is looking into more ways to supplement missed classroom time if it comes to extending school closures for the longer term.
“These kinds of services will require more planning, which is ongoing,” Carstarphen said on the blog post.
MARTA also announced it is ramping up sanitization of “high touch areas” such as handrails, elevator buttons, escalators, and Breeze machines at its facilities, rail stations, buses, and trains.
