A report from the White House Task Force warns that the coronavirus spread in Georgia is “widespread and expanding” and “strongly recommends” a statewide mask mandate, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which received the report.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to sign a new order Saturday allowing local governments to mandate masks, but only on their public property, not at private companies.
“My new Executive Order will protect property rights for all hard-working Georgians,” Kemp tweete Friday.
The task force’s report on August 9 also urges leaders in Georgia to close bars, nightclubs and gyms in high-risk counties to help stop the viral spread, the Journal-Constitution reported.
The number of coronavirus cases in Georgia has risen to nearly 232,000, the fifth-highest after California, Florida, Texas and New York.
The rise in new cases has slowed slightly over the past two weeks, but the state has seen an uptick in coronavirus deaths, according to an NBC News report. More than 4,500 people in Georgia have been killed by the virus, according to state data.
Against this background, the state reopened many of its schools for personal learning. In Cherokee County, where students came to school last week, there are now at least 110 confirmed cases of coronavirus, resulting in more than 1,600 students and staff being quarantined.
Georgia reports that it is the latest death toll from coronavirus, a 7-year-old boy, since schools reopened last week.
More schools in the country are expected to reopen for personal learning, while the national count of coronavirus cases has risen to 5.3 million, with nearly 170,000 dead.
In New York City, the nation’s largest school district plans to reopen with a nurse in each school building.
New York’s Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that the state has recorded its lowest number of hospitalizations of coronavirus since March 17. Hospitalizations have dropped to 523 in the state, Cuomo said.
New York on Friday confirmed 734 new coronavirus cases, bringing its statewide total to 424,901, and reported just five new deaths.
