Not wearing a mask in this Georgia tourist city could cost you a $500 fine
The mayor of Savannah, Georgia, issued an emergency order Tuesday mandating the use of face masks in public.
Everyone in the popular coastal city will be required to wear a face covering in public places and can face a civil infraction that comes with a fine of up to $500 if they don’t, Mayor Van Johnson announced in a media briefing.
The order will take effect 8 a.m. Wednesday and lasts until further notice.
The city council will consider the order and either modify or approve it at its next meeting, Johnson said.
“Frankly and honestly, I do not believe that we have any other choice,” Johnson said. “Let’s just look at the facts.”
He went on to discuss the coronavirus numbers in Chatham County, home to Savannah. Last week the county had a record 301 new infections, according to the mayor. It also had a 125% increase in cases between May and June. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 43 — another record, the mayor says.
Overall, the county has had 1,140 confirmed cases, a rate of about 390 known infections per 100,000 residents. It’s also reported 37 deaths, according to state data.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Johnson said in the briefing.
The order requires anyone who enters a “commercial establishment” in the city to wear a face covering while inside. All restaurants, retail and grocery stores, salons and pharmacies in the city must require their employees to wear a mask at all times.
It doesn’t apply to religious establishments, but face coverings are recommended during religious activity, the mayor said. Additionally, masks are not required when eating, drinking or smoking — or when taking part in outdoor physical activity away from other people.
The order doesn’t apply to children under the age of 11, people who cannot safely wear a face mask due to underlying health conditions or those who cannot remove it without assistance.
But officials may require verification of one’s reasoning for not wearing a mask, the mayor says.
“We’ll leave it to you to determine how you demonstrate that — either to one of our law enforcement officers or to a judge,” Johnson said during the briefing.
Officials will first offer a mask to anyone who is not wearing one as the purpose is “compliance not punishment,” although the $500 fine is still possible depending on the circumstances.
“If you refuse to wear it and can’t demonstrate a reason why you shouldn’t wear it, that’s a different issue altogether,” the mayor said.
Johnson said the decision to require masks was not an easy one, but that it’s important to protect “our neighbor.”
“My mask does not protect me,” he said. “My mask protects you. So I need you to wear your mask to protect me because I care enough about you to wear a mask to protect you.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has urged all residents of the state to wear face coverings but has stopped short of a public mandate and has said he will not issue one.
But some local governments in the area have issued their own orders. Augusta, Georgia, requires the use of face masks in government buildings, McClatchy News reports. Meanwhile, South Carolina municipalities Hilton Head and Beaufort, near Savannah, passed mask mandates this week.
Kemp also signed two new executive orders this week, extending restrictions as numbers continue to increase. One order extends the state’s public health emergency through Aug. 11 and the other extends safety protocols, The Macon Telegraph reports.
“We believe that this order is complimentary and not in conflict with Governor Kemp’s order and consistent with our shared desire to keep our citizens safe,” Mayor Johnson said Tuesday.
Reactions to the new order have been mixed.
Several people told WTOC they support the order.
“I think a lot of people are in denial that this is an actual issue that we’re facing and just because it doesn’t, like doesn’t ‘affect’ you and you don’t think you need to wear a mask it’s not just for you it’s for other people to protect them,” Claire Harrison, a Savannah resident, told the TV station.
Ani Asanga, another resident, told WTOC the order is needed.
“After watching the charts and everything and just seeing how many people get sick, especially when you know people you know get sick, you’re like wow this thing is really big and you definitely need to wear a mask,” Asanga said, according to the TV station.
But other reactions to the mandate weren’t as positive.
“I think it crosses the line and infringes on my rights,” Rickey Brantley told the Savannah Morning News.
Others also told WTOC they don’t like the mask mandate but declined to be interviewed on camera.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 1:19 PM.
