Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said Tuesday that his worst fears about reopening his city with the coronavirus still looming were realized over Memorial Day weekend.
During the Memorial Day weekend, the mayor said his city saw the level of activity and public gathering that would compare with a typical St. Patrick’s Day weekend, when hundreds of thousands would typically gather, according to a COVID-19 Response news conference recorded by news station WJCL.
“I remain concerned that many visitors and quite a few locals considered this to be nothing more than a simple vacation weekend and did not take the proper steps to protect themselves,” Johnson said.
Johnson said his “patience is being tested” by residents and visitors who are not upholding the social distance guidelines. Savannah, known for its historic downtown and nearby Tybee Island, reportedly had packed streets and dozens of people roaming common areas without masks. The mayor said the combination of dismissed suggestions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is destined to increase cases the next few weeks.
“Make no mistake, I am glad the Savannah-area businesses are open and able to once again make money. Most businesses around town were doing the best they could to protect employees and their customers,” Johnson said.
The mayor said he is considering making masks a requirement in public to combat continued issues with implementing safeguards to the disease. More than 20 people have died from the novel virus in Savannah’s Chatham County.
“My patience is being tried, and I’m close to the point of doing something. Something has to be done, and again we are trying very hard to not infringe on people’s personal freedoms, but I think the health of the entire community is more important than what people feel one way or another about face coverings.”
Johnson and his team are working on their phased reopening plan, but that won’t officially begin until there is a 14-day plateau or decline.
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