Masks are off in Peachtree Corners City Hall and other buildings owned by the city.
On Tuesday evening, officials participated in an “unmasking ceremony” by removing their masks during a meeting in City Hall.
City Council adopted a new resolution, allowing City Manager Brian Johnson to enact policies regarding the use and access of city-owned buildings in times of public health emergencies. The polices will be based on guidance from the governor, Georgia’s Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear masks in City Hall and other city-owned buildings. Unvaccinated individuals are still required to wear masks on an honor system. Unmasked guests are not asked to show proof of vaccination.
“I think we have it,” said Mayor Mike Mason after the vote. “You may unmask.”
City staff in customer-facing positions will be asked to wear a mask in the case of inadequate space for social distancing, Johnson said. Social distancing will still be encouraged at city-owned buildings, he said.
The decision came in response to the CDC’s latest guidelines, signaling that it’s safe for vaccinated people not to wear masks in indoor facilities. The declining two-week average of COVID-19 cases in Gwinnett County also led to the Council’s vote on the resolution. Nicole Love Hendrickson, chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, ended the mask requirement for county-owned facilities earlier this month.
The Peachtree Corners resolution comes less than a month after the Gwinnett city extended its public mask requirement until June 22. People are excused from wearing masks for a variety of reasons, including while at home or in personal vehicles and when alone or with other household members in enclosed spaces.
The requirement is currently not enforced, said Judy Putnam, communications director of the city. The ordinance takes effect when the prevalence of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Gwinnett County over the previous 14 days is equal to or greater than 100 cases per 100,000 people.
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