Politics

Atlanta mayor spends $1.5 million to isolate virus-infected homeless

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at a luncheon at the Atlanta Press Club in Atlanta, Ga., on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Casey Sykes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at a luncheon at the Atlanta Press Club in Atlanta, Ga., on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (Casey Sykes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

By Stephen Deere

April 9, 2020

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has ordered that the city spend an additional $1.5 million to test, transport, isolate and shelter homeless people infected with the coronavirus.

In a press release Thursday, the mayor said the money would match a private philanthropic donation to shelter homeless people who have contracted the virus.

“There is a critical need for the Atlanta community to step up to protect and provide for our most vulnerable populations,” Bottoms said in a statement.

Bottoms allocated the money through an executive order, which must be approved by the city council.

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