East Point declares coronavirus emergency, bans crowds of 50 people
Ordinance limits occupancy at restaurants and bars, closes playgrounds and parks
The East Point City Council declared a state of emergency on Monday, limiting restaurant dining rooms to 50 people, closing city parks and playgrounds and banning public events of more than 50 people.
The action came as the next step in the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. One of the fist coronavirus cases in Georgia came when a teacher at Woodland Middle School tested positive for the virus on March 9. That prompted city officials to close the Jefferson Park Recreation Center and later take other steps.
On Monday, the council unanimously took more drastic action to combat the pandemic in the city.
“We are definitely pushing the envelope this evening by stepping into the land of business regulation,” Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham (photo) said.
“These are very trying times but there is also time for us to pull together as East Pointers and help our fellow man or woman,” she added later.
The state of emergency, which lasts for 30 days, takes three actions:
Closes city parks and playgrounds.
Puts in place a 50-person occupancy for bars, restaurants and other establishments that sell food and drinks or provide entertainment. Take-out and delivery services are still allowed.
Establishes a moratorium on permits for public events of more than 50 people.
The fast-changing nature of the pandemic pushed the city to take action beyond implementing social distancing and offering prevention best practices to residents, Ingraham said
“Thinking about where we are today and where it looks like we are going, I thought it was prudent for us to have this discussion tonight around whether we want to declare a local state of emergency,” Ingraham said.
The emergency ordinance approved on Monday is similar to steps taken by the City of Atlanta on the same day but doesn’t go as far as one in Brookhaven.
In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed executive orders banning public gatherings of more than 50 people and limiting the occupancy of bars, gyms, movie theaters, clubs and other public gathering places to 50. Also on Monday, the Brookhaven City Council ordered restaurants and bars to close except for takeout and delivery service.
“I don’t know too many people that can survive without money,” City Council member Nanette Saucier said. “Before we go shutting anything down, I would like to make sure that’s the best thing for us to do and how we can help these businesses while we are going through this crisis.”
Saucier also urged the council to offer businesses impacted by the emergency declaration time to prepare for the new occupancy restrictions.
“I want to make sure that if we want to take any action, we take into account how this will impact them financially and allow them time to prepare,” Saucier said.
Council member Thomas Calloway pushed for limiting restaurants and bars to takeout and completely closing in-person dining.
“I understand this is something outside the norm. This is the new normal. We all need to take a breath and adjust to it,” Calloway said.
“It’s not like we’re living in Nowhere, Texas where you don’t see a person for a day. I literally live eight feet from my neighbor,” he added later.
The emergency declaration passed unanimously. Council members Calloway, Saucier, Joshua Butler, Stephanie Gordon and Lance Robertson voted for it. Council members Myron Cook and Karen René did not attend the meeting. Council member Sharon Shropshire left the meeting before the vote.
The council is likely to revisit the ordinance during its next meeting on April 6.
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