Trash pick-up delays as Atlanta sanitation workers call out sick

ATLANTA - The coronavirus has hit the sanitation division in the city of Atlanta hard.

So many employees are off the job, city managers have been forced to implement an emergency pick-up plan.

Since supervisors started tracking the illness, more than 80 employees had contracted the virus. Currently, 26 remain off the job.

Starting next week, some property owners will see reduced collections. For specifics, you can check the Atlanta government website or call 311.

Council members want to know whether the high number of ill employees from the same department might be linked to the tasks they do every day -- collecting waste and trash all over the city.

Jeffrey Norman, the head of Human Resources in Atlanta, told members he has no way to measure that.

WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage

_____

Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts

Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.