A surge in COVID-19 cases forced a number of restaurants to close over the weekend, shuttered CNN offices, and postponed Sunday night’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ticonderoga Club, Juniper Cafe, 8Arm, Supremo, Lucian Books & Wine, Field Day, A Mano and Bread & Butterfly closed over the weekend due to staff members testing positive for the virus.
In an Instagram post, Old Fourth Ward’s Ticonderoga Club said its entire staff is vaccinated, but team members still tested positive.
Recently opened Juniper Cafe on the Westside posted a similar note to social media and said it planned to reopen Wednesday “as long as we have enough uninfected staff.”
8Arm in Virginia-Highland said it would remain closed the rest of the week “due to multiple cases of COVID among our fully vaccinated staff.” The restaurant encouraged its customers to get vaccinated, get the booster shot, and wear masks.
Supremo, the Memorial Drive taco shop, said it planned to reopen Tuesday, but would re-test staff and see if it was safe to do so.
Lucian Books & Wine in Buckhead also closed over the weekend after a “fully vaccinated and boosted” staff member tested positive for the virus.
On Saturday night, CNN’s chief media correspondent Brian Stelter tweeted that all CNN offices, including the Atlanta headquarters, were closing “to all employees who do not have to be in the office to do their jobs” due to the COVID surge. “Back to 2020 protocols, essentially.”
On Sunday afternoon, just hours before the start of the game, the NBA announced the postponement of the Hawks-Cavaliers game at State Farm Arena after Hawks star Trae Young tested positive. The Cavaliers had an outbreak of COVID on its roster and were concerned they wouldn’t have enough players for the game.
The NBA also said it was returning to mask requirements and additional testing for players and staff at least through the holiday season as COVID numbers tick upwards.
While the Delta variant of COVID-19 remains the most prevalent form of the virus in the state, five cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant have been detected in Georgia and state health officials said there are likely more.
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s last figures posted on Friday showed that COVID-19 cases increased by 60% in the last 14 days. The state reported 2,334 new cases, the highest number since early October.
A little more than half the state – 54 percent – have been vaccinated against COVID.