Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has drafted an administrative order that effectively allows restaurants and bars banned from allowing in-person dining to sell alcohol through takeout and delivery service, according to a tweet she posted Friday morning.

On Thursday, Bottoms issued an order that banned in-person dining at restaurants and bars to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, but she still permitted them to provide takeout and delivery food service. She made the announcement on Twitter, and in a separate post said that state law prohibited her from waiving restrictions on take out alcohol sales.

“If there is a provision in State law that empowers me to waive alcohol take out, I’ll gladly sign it,” Bottoms wrote. “I’ve just not seen it yet.”

While Bottoms’ Friday order doesn’t explicitly “waive alcohol takeout,” it directs Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields to instruct her officers to not enforce any prohibitions against restaurants and bars affected by the in-person dining ban from selling unopened packages of alcohol.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com