Fulton County recommends mask mandate, other changes in emergency COVID-19 meeting

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Indoor mask mandates and bans on large gatherings were just some of the recommendations made Friday during an emergency meeting in Fulton County.

The meeting was called because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

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Health officials made it very clear that they aren’t trying to cause panic or confusion, but they want to make sure they get ahead of this highly contagious variant, and they decided today that to do so they need to close down senior centers.

Dr. Lynn Paxton, the district health director for the Fulton County Board of Health, said the county is on a bad trajectory, with COVID-19 cases rising daily.

The county is well into the category for high transmission. The Fulton County Board of Health has some urgent recommendations for the county to get back on track:

• Masks should be required at all indoor facilities
• Limit large group gatherings
• Residents should get tested for COVID-19 before spending time with family
• Get vaccinated and boosted
• The county should move to close senior centers

Paxton said that the rapid spread of omicron is really going to hurt those who aren’t vaccinated.

“Greater than 94% all of our hospitalized patients are the unvaccinated so that’s why we putting a huge push on getting people vaccinated,” Paxton said.

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Testing is another key tool in defeating this variant. Paxton told commissioners that the board of health will use $800,000 in grant funds to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests, but they are still hoping to get additional assistance from federal government.

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