Riverdale on Monday became the latest southside community to declare a state of emergency and put in place a curfew because of the coronavirus.

Like many cities around the metro area, Riverdale has relegated churches to congregations of no more than 10 people and banned dining inside restaurants but allowed the establishments to serve food curbside or through a drive-through window.

The Clayton County city also called for a “shelter at their place”  curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., an issue that Mayor Evelyn Winn Dixon just days earlier had tried to avoid.

“We strongly urge you to continue to exercise good judgment and self-discipline to avoid the necessity of the city declaring a formal curfew,” Dixon said in a letter to residents. “It is vital to your health and safety, as well as to the well-being of others that you continue to do so.

“However, should we consider it necessary for the safety and welfare of our citizens at any time in the future, we will not hesitate to invoke a legal curfew,” she wrote.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta firefighters respond to a fatal blaze at Venetian Hills Apartments on Campbellton Road in Atlanta on March 15, 2017. A $140 million verdict awarded to the family of the tenant who died in the fire was erased Friday by the Georgia Court of Appeals. (John Spink/AJC file)

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Featured

A person exits the Wolf Creek Library in Atlanta after casting his ballot during election day on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC