Alpharetta Ordered to Shelter-In-Home Amid Coronavirus

ALPHARETTA, GA — The city of Alpharetta has ordered its residents to shelter in their homes, isloate and quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Under the ordinance issued April 1, residents are only supposed to leave their homes if absolutely necessary. Restaurants can also continue to perform drive-thru and curbside pickup but cannot allow customers inside. The ordinance will be in effect through at least April 30.

Under the rule, residents should not leave their homes unless they are:

• Shopping for food
• Going to a doctor
• Walking to maintain health (while keeping a safe six-foot distance from everyone else)

Alpharetta Mayor Jim Galvin says the order is not much different from what the city had already been advising residents to do, but is an attempt to convince everyone of the severity of this situation:

"Unfortunately, while most citizens were following that guidance and taking proactive measures to practice social distancing and slow the spread of COVID-19, others were not taking the situation seriously and were putting everyone at risk by not following the recommended measures. This ordinance makes more of the commonsense measures mandatory and defines penalties for violating the ordinance.

Under the ordinance, all but essential businesses must close. Essential businesses include:

• Health care facilities
• Grocery stores
• Gas stations
• Auto repair shops
• Banks
• Plumbers and electricians
• Childcare facilities

If anyone has questions or concerns, the city advises them to read the ordinance itself, which can be found here.

Alpharetta businesses are also invited to post their status on Patch's open or closed directory here.