FILE PHOTO: Gov. Candidate Brian Kemp prepares to speak to volunteers and his campaign office staff as they conduct a phone banking event in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, November 5, 2018. REUTERS / Leah Millis
ATLANTA (Reuters) – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday withdrew his emergency request for a court to suspend enforcement of the Atlanta requirement for masks to be worn in all public places, while mediating on the legal effort from the state to block the mandate proceeds.
Kemp sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the city two weeks ago to halt compliance with the local mandate, aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The governor argued that the city lacks the authority to override his order, encouraging but not requiring that they cover their faces.
In a statement, the Republican governor’s office said the motion was withdrawn, “to continue productive and good faith negotiations with city officials and prepare for a future hearing on the merits of our legal position.”
Mayor Bottoms, a Democrat, said she would continue to defy the governor’s orders, but hoped the two sides could find a solution.
Bottoms is one of the few Georgia mayors and other leaders who have issued local mask orders in defiance of the governor.
Kemp, one of the first governors to facilitate stay-at-home orders and the closure of businesses across the state, has suggested that the mandatory masks would be too restrictive.
As the southern states of the United States have seen an outbreak of new cases, Georgia has had more than 170,000 coronavirus cases and more than 3,500 known deaths.
Rich McKay’s report in Atlanta; editing by Jonathan Oatis
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