Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency.
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Just when she needed a high-profile political ally, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has gotten a big one: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The two Democrats have struck a friendship that will pay dividends to Atlanta’s bid to help mitigate the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo tweeted Wednesday that he is sending to Atlanta 7,500 test kits, 30,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) and 1,250 gallons of hand sanitizer.
The items are scheduled to arrive on Friday, the governor said.
“When New York was in need, volunteers from around the country came here to help. We vowed to pay that generosity forward,” he said.
Bottoms retweeted the message, adding, “My mother often says, ‘A friend, in need, is a friend indeed.’ We are grateful to have a friend in @NYGovCuomo and the people of NY.”
My mother often says, “A friend, in need, is a friend indeed.” We are grateful to have a friend in @NYGovCumo and the people of NY. #ATLStrong https://t.co/zs2TL5E6eL
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 15, 2020
The help comes as Bottoms navigates an icy relationship with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who slapped her hand days earlier when the mayor of the state’s largest city instituted a mask mandate.
“Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms’ action today is merely guidance – both non-binding and legally unenforceable. As clearly stated in my executive orders, no local action can be more or less restrictive, and that rule applies statewide,” Kemp tweeted.
“If the Mayor actually wants to flatten the curve in Atlanta, she should start enforcing state restrictions, which she has failed to do.
Meanwhile Georgia’s COVID-19 numbers continue to climb, putting a strain on hospitals.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
- ATLANTA CORONAVIRUS RESOURCE GUIDE: Grants & More
- How To Get Tested For COVID-19 In Atlanta
- Social Distancing Guide: How To Do It
- COVID-9 Protection: How To Make a Face And Face Covering
- Georgia Lockdown & Re-Opening: Everything You Need To Know
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If you are an Uber driver, independent contractor, starving artist or another kind of freelancer, you probably could use $1,000 right now, especially with the coronavirus pandemic still wreaking havoc.
Are You A Gig Worker? Here’s How To Get a $1,000 Forgiveable Loan
The U.S. government is still offering freelance workers up to $1,000 as part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) distributed by the Small Business Administration.
The EIDL is called a loan, but works more like a grant in that it is forgiveable and you don’t have to repay it.
What Are The Requirements?
As for as eligibility, here is what you need..
- You must be a small business owner or have a qualified agricultural business in the United States or its territories.
- are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to Coronavirus (COVID-19).
- You must also state your name, address and other basic business information
How To Apply
To apply for an EIDL loan, fill out this application for Disaster Loan Assistance.
Although you face a perjury charge if you’re not truthful on your application, you don’t even have to be directly affected by the pandemic to get the loan.
Are you a small business owner? Here are some grants you should apply for.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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Google is doing what it can to create jobs to underrepresented communities in Georgia and other places. The tech company announced three new Google Career Certificates in high-demand, high-paying fields, including:
- Data Analytics
- Project Management
- User Experience (UX) Design
Google Announces Programs To Help Underserved Communities
The initiative is all part of the Grow with Google economic opportunity program, which we previously wrote about.
With so many people out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Google Career Certificates will equip participants with the essential skills they need to get a job.
The certificates will be available online on the learning platform Coursera and will focus on Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design.
Applicants don’t need a degree to enroll.
Along with the certificates, Google says it will fund 100,000 need-based scholarships for those enrolled in any of these Career Certificate programs.
The good news is that Google will consider all of its Career Certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for applicable roles at the company.
“College degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn’t need a college diploma to have economic security,” said Kent Walker, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs at Google. “We need new, accessible job-training solutions—from enhanced vocational programs to online education—to help America recover and rebuild.”
In addition to those developments, Google also announced that it will give $10 million in grants for the YWCA, NPower and JFF to support job training programs and increase access to digital skills for women, veterans, and underserved Americans.
Atlanta has a lot of inspirational people and AtlantaFi.com is going to introduce you to many of them as well as cool places to go, great restaurants and other ATL happenings.
Got an event or know of something opening in and around Atlanta? Holla: CJ@AtlantaFi.com. See what’s poppin’ in the ATL! Subscribe to our news alerts here, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
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Slutty Vegan, the hottest plant-based restaurant in metro Atlanta, opened a second brick-and-mortar location in metro Atlanta. The Slutty Vegan in Jonesboro held its grand opening on Saturday, July 12, 2020.
More than a thousand people waited outside to get “Sluttified,” a euphemism that the restaurant uses when you try their delicious food.
“Hey Sluts! We are so overwhelmed and thankful for the immense support at the grand opening of our Slut House in the city of Jonesboro!” the Slutty Vegan Instagram account posted. “We are so grateful that you came out to celebrate this incredible milestone with us.”
The restaurant was started by entrepreneur Pinky Cole, a former television producer who took a chance on a food truck business.
Slutty Vegan Jonesboro: Restaurant Opens Clayton County Location
View this post on InstagramIn January 2019, Cole opened Slutty Vegan in southwest Atlanta in the Westview neighborhood. Since then the 100% plant-based southwest Atlanta restaurant has been packing in crowds.
News of the new restaurant was announced on the city of Jonesboro’s Instagram page.
So where is Slutty Vegan’s Jonesboro location going to be? City Manager Ricky L. Clark Jr. has said that the new restaurant will be at 164 N. Mcdonough St. Jonesboro Ga 30236.
Cole’s restaurants have grown not only a regional following, but thanks to her celebrity connections and clientele, a national profile as well.
While she is focused on growing Slutty Vegan eateries around metro Atlanta, Cole is not content with the Atlanta area. She has also opened pop-ups in places like Miami, Florida.
Up next: Slutty Vegan to open in Midtown Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward
Slutty Vegan Restaurant Locations
The Slutty Vegan has three Atlanta restaurant locations up or in the makings. They are located in the following areas:
- Westview: 1542 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
- Edgewood: 482 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
- Jonesboro: 164 N. Mcdonough St. Jonesboro Ga 30236
Aside from having a new Slutty Vegan in Jonesboro, Atlanta is having a restaurant renaissance. Hot chicken is the rage in Atlanta’s dining scene right now. But so are chicken and waffles.
Fast-casual is also the dining trend du jour around metro Atlanta restaurants. The concept involves mixing the quick accessibility of fast food with the casual dining experience. Food in Atlanta is also adapting to the various tastes of the migrants that come here to live.
See What’s On the Slutty Vegan Menu.
Patrons typically order off a menu board like they would at a burger joint, but the convenience of sitting down to leisurely enjoy their food has made the segment a popular one with the restaurant industry.
The craze hasn’t escaped metro Atlanta’s food and drink scene, which has seen a fast-caz explosion in recent years.
Check out some of AtlantaFi.com’s best Atlanta restaurant stories
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The word for 2020 is “social distahttps://atlantafi.com/social-distancing-coronavirus/ncing.” Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s amazing how new words can enter the vocabulary.
Atlanta is one of the hardest cities hit by COVID-19, so its residents have had to social distance with the best of them.
Here are some Atlantans that are keeping safe and fashionably social distancing, if we do say so ourselves.
Cumberland Mall
View this post on InstagramChilling
View this post on InstagramDoggone It!
View this post on InstagramFrom The Back
View this post on InstagramMask (Somewhat) On
Vamping
View this post on InstagramFlexing
Atlanta is one of the hardest cities hit by COVID-19, so its residents have had to social distance with the best of them.Atlanta is one of the hardest cities hit by COVID-19, so its residents have had to social distance with the best of them.Atlanta is one of the hardest cities hit by COVID-19, so its residents have had to social distance with the best of them.Atlanta is one of the hardest cities hit by COVID-19, so its residents have had to social distance with the best of them.Atlanta is one of the hardest cities hit by COVID-19, so its residents have had to social distance with the best of them.
View this post on InstagramDa Baby
View this post on InstagramPose
View this post on InstagramWater World
View this post on InstagramNo matter if you want to catch a comedy club, go out for a night of cocktails and hookah, or go to the club, Atlanta has it all. And if you want to eat in a special place, Atlanta new restaurants continue to pop up every week!
Atlanta has so much to do that you need a curated guide to help you sort through it all. Make sure you subscribe to our #ATLHaps newsletter that gives you a weekly tab of Atlanta events you don’t want to miss.
Explore Atlanta At Your Own Pace
First, to find all the good things happening in the city this week, all you have to do is take a look at downtown Atlanta. That’s where some of the best restaurants are as well as where the visitors, namely tourists, are. Downtown Atlanta or Midtown often has something cool going on!
Are you a beer drinker? You also may want to visit to a craft brewery in the city.
Check out these events in Atlanta today and this week and this weekend:
- For a month’s view: The Official Atlanta Events Calendar
- For a more immediate look, check Things to do in Atlanta This Week
Here are more articles from AtlantaFi.com:
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Two well-known Atlanta establishments — Hop City Craft Beer & Wine and Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar in Fayetteville, Georgia — are set to open in Fayetteville’s Pinewood Forest development on Friday, July 24, 2020, the companies said.
Restaurateur Kraig Torres is bringing the bar and restaurant there to take advantage of the burgeoning enclave growing around the Pinewood movie studio, which has had a hand in several big films in recent years.
Hop City and Barleygarden To Open In Fayetteville’s Pinewood Forest
Hop City and Barleygarden will share a two-story 5,500 square-foot space across from Pinewood Atlanta Studios. Barleygarden will be on the second floor.
What’s On The Menu At Barleygarden Kitchen and Craft Bar
Barleygarden Kitchen and Craft Bar will serve an expansive beverage menu tfeaturing 72 rotating brews from all across the globe.
The spot will also feature handcrafted cocktails and curated wines. Praised for their approachable menu with an emphasis on beer pairings,
Barleygarden’s Chef Brian Carson, who comes from Hop City’s second sister restaurant, Boxcar, will feature inventive dishes featuring seasonal, farm-fresh options along with elevated bar food classics.
In addition to a a build-your-own burger section with four different patty choices, here are some things you can find on the menu at Barleygarden:
- Loaded Pork Skins with house-made blue cheese crumble dressing
- Sweet and Smokey Eggplant Caponata and Springer Mountain Chicken Wings
- Barleygarden’s original Butcher’s Bun
- New Flyin’ Bayou Po’ Boy
COVID-19 Rules: Hop City and Barleygarden
Hop City and Barleygarden both follow guidelines recommended by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, including adhering to a strict internal safety protocol for each stage of opening. TThese will include:
- Daily health inspections for staff members, including temperature checks before entering the building.
- Employee training on proper safety and sanitation procedures, including mandatory masks in customer service areas at all times.
- All customers are also required to wear masks when entering or moving about the building which includes, but is not limited to, visits to the restroom.
Where Is Hop City and Barleygarden Located In Fayetteville?
Hop City and Barleygarden in Fayettville is located at 240 J Arthur Rank Ave Fayetteville, GA 30214. Here is map to help you find it.
Read more: 15+ Essential Soul Food Restaurants In AtlantaThe city has some good restaurants in each quadrant of the city: East, West, North, South. All you need to do is think about what you have a taste for. Italian? Soul food? Tex-Mex? Atlanta has it all.
For the latest in metro Atlanta’s food and drink scene, stay with Atlantafi.com.
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Barbados is considering letting visitors stay on the island nation for up to a year, the country says.
The visits are part of a plan to reopen travel to the Caribbean nation, who like the rest of the world, has been paralyzed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Barbados May Let Travelers Stay For One Year
Prime Minister Mia Mottley floated the plan, called the “Barbados Welcome Stamp,” recently to let those who visit there work remotely for one year.
“You don’t need to work in Europe, or the U.S. or Latin America if you can come here and work for a couple months at a time; go back and come back,” Mottley said recently, according to the Barbados Government Information Service website.
The work-from-home plan would solve issues with short-term travel and the continual testing that coronavirus now requires.
The Barbados Welcome Stamp would let “persons to come and work from here overseas, digitally so, so that persons don’t need to remain in the countries in which they are,” Mottley was quoted as saying.
The crisis has hit the island nation even harder than some locations because tourism is a major part of the country’s economy.
All travelers to Barbados must complete a Pre-Arrival on-line Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) form at least 24 hours before arrival.
As of July 10, 2020, Barbados had less than 100 COVID-19 cases and only seven deaths, according to government figures.
Flights From Atlanta To Barbados
Flights from Atlanta to Barbados between August 7th to the 16th averaged around $590 on the major airlines when I checked Kayak.com.
The cheapest fare from Atlanta to Barbados was American Airlines: $521
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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The city of Atlanta now requires masks for the general public to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed the executive order, which covers Hartsfield-Jackson Airport as well, on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.
“We will continue to take active measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 infections in Atlanta,” said Mayor Bottoms said in a press release. “Public health experts overwhelmingly agree that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this sometimes deadly virus.”
Masks Mandatory In Atlanta And Other Georgia Cities
East Point also has mandated masks for the general public when they visit businesses. The south Fulton County city joins Savannah and Athens in requiring the use of face masks.
So far the cities and other municipalities that have mandated or about to require masks are:
- Atlanta
- Avondale Estates
- Athens
- Augusta
- Brookhaven
- College Park
- Decatur
- Doraville
- DeKalb County
- Dunwoody
- East Point
- Fairburn
- Hinesville
- Savannath
- South Fulton
- Rome
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is another destination where masks are required, with Delta Air Lines leading the way in enforcement.
Some of the fines for not wearing masks in these jurisdictions range from a warning to a $25 fine to a $75.
In East Point, the new law means that people who patronize restaurants, liquor stores, barbershops, the post office and any other business must wear a mask or face covering.
If you don’t comply, people without a mask could be penalized $75 along with the business.
The “wear a mask” law for East Point goes into effect on Thursday, July 8, 2020. The law won’t be enforced until Monday, July 13, 2020, according to the AJC.
Meanwhile, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has resisted the call to mandate that all state residents wear masks. Last week, he told reporters that requiring people to wear masks was”a step too far.”
Despite that, Georgia’s COVID-19 cases have topped 100,000 and now Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has been a frequent critic of Kemp’s handling of the virus, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Taking to Twitter, Mayor Bottoms also defended herself against purported reports that she attending a news conference while awaiting a COVID-19 test.
“FINALLY received our test results taken 8 days before. One person in my house was positive then. By the time we tested again, 1 week later, 3 of us had COVID,” she said. “If we had known sooner, we would have immediately quarantined. Perhaps the National Guard can help with testing too.”
The Atlanta fire chief has quarantined himself as a result of Bottoms’ infection, according to local reports.
Want to know how to make a mask? Here’s everything you need to know.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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Atlanta is among the cities where Uber will start asking passengers to disinfect the backseat of vehicle they ride in. The program is part of a partnership with Clorox to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Among the pilot cities in the Uber-Clorox cleaning program are:
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- New York City
Drivers in those cities will have Clorox Disinfecting Wipes in their vehicles to help keep the backseats clean. Riders can see inside the Uber app whether disinfecting wipes are available for use in the car.
Uber says it will supply up to 200,000 canisters of Clorox wipes per month to supply drivers. The prgroam may add more cities soon.
Uber says it has mandated its drivers to wear face masks and follow all the guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition to drivers, all Uber riders are required to wear face covers or masks.
The new Uber-Clorox program comes as Atlanta and the state contend with a surge in COVID-19 cases. Still, Gov. Brian Kemp has resisted calls to make face masks mandatory.
“Mandating that I think is a bridge too far for me right now,” Kemp told reporters in late June. “We have to have the public buy-in. Over the last several months, the public has done that. I’ve been demonstrating that myself. It’s a good idea if you’re going out in public.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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One of Atlanta’s most high-profile restaurants, the Slutty Vegan, is preparing to open 13 restaurants over the next two years.
The next project of Pinky Cole, a former TV producer-turned-restaurateur, is a bar concept in Ponce City Market. Bar Vegan is set to open in February 2021.
Slutty Vegan Expanding In Metro Atlanta
Customers can expect fresh takes on your favorite cocktails like the margarita, lemon drop martini and more.
Cole is not satisfied with staying in Georgia either. After a successful food truck run in Alabama, Slutty Vegan is testing a Birmingham location as well.
New locations have been earmarked for Duluth and Athens, Georgia among other places.
Slutty Vegan has been a huge success since it opened in early 2019. Cole, a former TV producer, began the eatery as a food truck specializing in plant-based burgers.
To show just how popular the restaurant is, more than 2,000 people recently waited in a long line to order from the eatery’s West End location. Granted, the special was a free burger, but still.
In late 2020, Slutty Vegan announced plans for a location on Edgewood Avenue, then again one in Jonesboro south of the city. Now, the restaurant is growing, well, like a plant.
A video the restaurant uploaded to social media says that it will open more than a dozen Slutty Vegan restaurants into 2022.
We’re opening 13 locations within the next two years… 🙌🏽🙏🏾
So who’s next? 👀 #WhosNext#SluttyVeganATL #SluttyVegan 🍔🌱 pic.twitter.com/LasDyAMIrt
— Slutty Vegan ATL (@SluttyVeganATL) June 27, 2020
Atlanta has become known for its black-owned restaurants.
If you’re a health nut and want more local healthy food choices, perhaps you’ll be interested in our Guide to Local Farmers Markets.
We also have special coverage of Black Farmers In Atlanta as well as How To Keto In Atlanta.
More Food Coverage: