Growing number of Georgia cities mandate masks as COVID-19 cases top 100,000
Mask mandates are going into effect across Georgia as the state sees a surge in new coronavirus cases.
Atlanta is expected to join a growling list of cities requiring face coverings amid the pandemic, which, as of Tuesday, had surpassed 100,000 cases, data from the state Department of Public Health show. Georgia has also reported more than 2,800 coronavirus-related deaths and rising hospitalizations due to the virus, according to the department.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who recently revealed that she and multiple family members tested positive for COVID-19, announced the decision on MSNBC early Wednesday, stating her plans follow other Georgia cities such as Savannah and Athens that have made masks a requirement.
“Atlanta is going to do it today because the fact of the matter is that COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on our city, specifically Black and brown communities with higher death rates,” Bottoms said on MSNBC.
“We’ll never be able to reopen our schools and our economy if we don’t take some responsibility for what we can do as leaders,” she added.
Savannah became the first Georgia city to enact a mask mandate last week, defying an executive order by Gov. Brian Kemp to keep local governments from implementing COVID-19 measures that are too strict or too lax, McClatchy News reported.
Kemp, who extended the public health state of emergency on Monday, has encouraged the use of face masks in public places. He doesn’t believe a mask mandate is necessary, however.
“We don’t need a government mandate to do the right thing,” the Republican governor said during a visit to Columbus, Ga., last week, according to McClatchy. “We’ve got a government mandate on speed limits and people break it every day. ...We’ve got to be reasonable.”
Still, some Georgia cities are taking steps to quell the spread of the virus in their communities.
On Monday, the city of East Point, located on the southside of Atlanta, approved a measure requiring face coverings inside businesses including restaurants and grocery stores, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Violators face a $75 fine.
Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham told the newspaper she drew inspiration from Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s emergency order last week mandating masks.
“We’re not talking about politics, we’re talking about whether people live,” Ingraham told the AJC. “I just don’t feel like we have the luxury or ability not to take action.”
Nearly 90 miles away, commissioners in Athens-Clarke County approved a similar mandate requiring residents “to use face coverings over both their nose and mouth in any public place other than a person’s home or vehicle, and when social distancing is not allowed,” according to 11 Alive News.
The order excludes persons younger than 10 and those with underlying health issues, the news station reported. It also doesn’t apply in places of worship or while a person is drinking or eating.
On Wednesday, Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson said he’s considering a partial mask mandate for the city as coronavirus cases continue to rise, McClatchy News reported.
“We get it that masks really help and we want to be able to continue to serve the citizens, and we have to have folks here staffed and healthy,” Henderson said, according to the newspaper. “So I think the best way to do that is just to try to control the access of our city building, so that anybody that comes in will have to wear a mask for the time they’re in here.”
A proposed mask mandate in Doraville would cover “all public places,” the city said in a news release Wednesday. Mayor Joseph Geierman plans to introduce the ordinance July 17 after seeing the city’s coronavirus cases more than triple since mid-May.
“It has become clear to me that we are not going to get ahead of this pandemic unless mask use becomes much more widespread,” Geierman said in a statement posted to Facebook. “By doing this, I hope we can prevent another lockdown and help save the local economy from additional stress while also saving lives.”
According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, face mask use can slow the spread of the coronavirus, along with social distancing and frequent hand washing.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Growing number of Georgia cities mandate masks as COVID-19 cases top 100,000."