The Atlanta City Council is aiming to hold its first meeting at City Hall in over two years on March 7, marking a return to the in-person format, according to an internal memo obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The 15-member legislative body has been meeting in a virtual format since the start of the pandemic. Councilmembers have participated via audio call, and voted virtually.
According to the memo, sent out to councilmembers and other staff Wednesday, masks will be required, and rooms will have capacity limits. In-person public comment is set to resume, though the council will continue to accept virtual comments from residents who choose to call in and leave a message.
“As the Omicron cases have continued to subside, we’ve been closely monitoring the situation, and we’re finalizing the plans to return to safe, in-person meetings beginning March 7. We will continue to follow guidance regarding safety protocols for Council members, staff, and the public,” Council President Doug Shipman said in a statement to the AJC.
City Hall is currently open to the public for some in-person services, and many city employees have returned, though Mayor Andre Dickens has not yet announced plans for a full-scale reopening. Resuming regular business at City Hall was a goal of Dickens’ when he was running for mayor, before the rise of the omicron variant scuttled those plans.
The memo noted that the last full in-person council meeting was March 2, 2020. Since then, transparent barriers have been added to the council chambers, and councilmembers attended a training to get used to the traditional meeting style.
Depending on the nature of the pandemic, plans could change over the next several weeks. Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said last July that she hoped to reopen City Hall in early August, but that plan was reversed after the emergence of the delta variant.
COVID infections in Fulton and DeKalb counties have dropped drastically in the last month, with new cases decreasing by over 60% in the last two weeks.
Councilwoman Andrea Boone, who chairs the City Council committee focused on council operations, said she is confident that officials have gone through the necessary protocol to ensure a safe return, which she said is a service to residents.
“We will be sitting behind our dais, rolling up our sleeves and doing this work for the public,” she said.
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