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Atlanta mayor to police: Don’t enforce prohibitions on takeout alcohol

10/07/2019 — Atlanta, Georgia — Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields (left) listens as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks during a presser at the Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters, Monday, October 7, 2019. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal Constitution)
10/07/2019 — Atlanta, Georgia — Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields (left) listens as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks during a presser at the Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters, Monday, October 7, 2019. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal Constitution)
By Stephen Deere
March 20, 2020

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

Stephen Deere covers Atlanta City Hall and Atlanta government.

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