Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told the city council on Monday that she is ready to issue a stay-at-home order, but has been asked by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to hold off until his 5 p.m. press conference.

As the coronavirus continues to threaten public health, states and cities across the country have issued “stay-at-home” or “shelter-in-place” orders.

Those orders typically have had a number of exceptions, including visits to grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, liquor stores and even home improvement stores.

Bottoms did not go into detail about what her order might include during her briefing with the city council shortly after 10 a.m.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Kemp confirmed that he asked Bottoms to wait before issuing the stay-at-home-order. When asked why, the spokeswoman replied: “Stay tuned.”

Bottoms also told the council that a number of Transportation Safety Administration agents at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have tested positive for coronavirus.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Ernie Suggs, a reporter at the AJC since 1997, reviews a selection of articles he has contributed to during his time with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as of Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins' Senate campaign used Sen. Jon Ossoff's Senate portrait (center) to create an AI-generated video of Ossoff talking about his vote not to end the government shutdown.  The video was reposted to Collins' campaign account on X (left). (Screenshot)

Credit: Screenshot