Dunwoody declares COVID-19 emergency, could return to virtual meetings
Dunwoody joined a few other DeKalb County cities by redeclaring a local emergency due to COVID-19′s rapidly spreading omicron variant.
The City Council unanimously voted Monday to enact the emergency ordinance, which allows city meetings to take place virtually without an in-person quorum. City Attorney Bill Riley said it is a precaution in case things get worse regarding transmission of the virus.
“With many people either ill or quarantining, it may be necessary to hold virtual meetings to obtain a quorum,” Mayor Lynn Deutsch said in a Facebook post.
Cities such as Stone Mountain and Stonecrest continued virtual meetings through all of last year, when most cities returned to in-person settings. Like those cities, Dunwoody will allow public comment to take place virtually if they return to online meetings.
Dunwoody’s policy comes on the heels of the city canceling all municipal court hearings last week due to the threat of omicron. The cancellation was later extended through Wednesday. In addition, the nearby cities of Avondale Estates and Clarkston closed their City Halls to the public due to the COVID-19 uptick.
The ordinance is set to expire Feb. 10.
Dunwoody Emergency Ordinance by Zachary Hansen on Scribd
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
