Georgia's Governor Issues Order Rescinding Local Mask Mandates

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is overruling local government mandates requiring people to wear masks in public to stop the spread of COVID-19, insisting that the state's less-stringent guidelines take precedence.

Kemp on Wednesday extended the state's COVID-19 restrictions, which strongly encourage the wearing of masks, but stopped short of requiring them in public, calling such a measure "a bridge too far."

His order explicitly rescinds mask orders in such key cities as Atlanta, Savannah, Athens and Augusta, along with more than a dozen other local jurisdictions where similar directives have been issued.

Kemp, a Republican, has been at odds with mayors and city administrators over the issue in recent days. Last week, for instance, Atlanta's Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a return to tough measures to control an ongoing spike in coronavirus infections in the capital, but Kemp's office insisted that her order was "non-binding and legally unenforceable."

Georgia on Wednesday reported its second-highest new coronavirus case count to date, with 3,871 new confirmed cases and 37 COVID-19 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 128,000 people in Georgia have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 3,000 have died. Half of all new cases are being reported in Atlanta, the capital and largest city.