Georgia Governor Bans Cities, Counties from Requiring Masks

Georgia governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday overruling mask mandates put in place by local governments in the state to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, calling such rules “unenforceable.”

Kemp’s order, which extended the state’s COVID-19 restrictions through July 31, prohibits local municipalities from enforcing mandatory mask orders that are more restrictive than his statewide order that only encourages face coverings, effectively voiding orders issued by at least 15 local governments across the state, NPR reported.

His previous order, set to expire on Wednesday, had banned local municipalities from taking more restrictive steps than the state, but the new order explicitly prohibits cities and counties from requiring masks.

Atlanta, Savannah, Athens, Augusta and other local governments had defied orders and issued their own mask mandates in recent weeks. Kemp’s office insisted that such orders are “non-binding and legally unenforceable.”

The Republican governor has “strongly encouraged” residents and visitors to “wear coverings as practicable” insisting that mask mandates are “unenforceable” and “a bridge too far.”

“Previous executive orders – and now this order – state no local action can be more or less restrictive than ours,” Candice Broce, a spokesperson for the governor, tweeted. “We have explained that local mask mandates are unenforceable. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public.”