Georgia Governor Brian Kemp prohibits cities and counties from requiring that masks be worn in public to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Kemp’s executive order is a revised extension of guidelines established during the start of the pandemic, which encouraged, rather than required, residents to wear masks in public. The governor has called the implementation of such a measure “a bridge too far.”
The executive order says in part: “State, county, or municipal law, order, ordinance, rule, or regulation requiring people to wear face shields, masks, face shields, or any other personal protective equipment while in places of lodging public or on public property are suspended to the extent that they are more restrictive than this Executive Order. “
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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks to members of the media during his weekly press conference on the Georgia State Capitol Coronavirus Pandemic on May 7, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Austin McAfee / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
His orders had banned local governments from taking more restrictive measures than the state, but the new set of rules specifies that cities and counties cannot require the use of face covers, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Previous executive orders, and now this order, state that no local action can be more or less restrictive than ours,” said Candice Broce, communications director and deputy executive adviser to the governor. “We have explained that local mask mandates cannot be enforced. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson was the first local official to challenge Kemp and order masks. Cities like Atlanta, Athens, and Augusta soon followed suit. The mayor had said that the police would begin writing citations of $ 500 to companies that did not enforce the law.
“It is officially official. Governor Kemp doesn’t care about us, ”Johnson wrote on Twitter Wednesday night. “Each man and woman for himself. Ignore the science and survive as best you can. “
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“At #Savannah, we will continue to keep faith and follow science,” he continued. “Skins will continue to be available!”
Kemp also extended parts of his executive order Wednesday through July 31. It extends the ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, renews the rules on how businesses can operate, and orders nursing home residents, nursing home residents, and others with medical conditions to take refuge. instead.
Georgia reported 3,871 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 37 deaths on Wednesday. It was the second highest total since the start of the pandemic. The state has seen more than 127,838 total confirmed cases and at least 3,091 deaths from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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An increasing number of other states have ordered residents to wear masks in public, including Alabama, which announced the ban on Wednesday.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
