Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sues Atlanta Mayor over mask mandate, a day after banning local mask mandates in the state
AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp banned local mask mandates in an executive order signed Wednesday, while other states have implemented mask mandates amid record-high surges in coronavirus cases across the US.
"Any state, county, or municipal law, order, ordinance, rule, or regulation that requires persons to wear face coverings, masks, face shields, or any other Personal Protective Equipment while in places of public accommodation or on public property are suspended," as written in the executive order.
Georgia recorded more than 3,870 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with over 127,800 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state.
Kemp's executive order came after Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms had also signed an executive order last week mandating masks in the state's largest city.
"Other cities have taken the approach that they are going to defy the governor's executive order. Savannah has done it, some other cities have done it, and Atlanta is going to do it today," Bottoms said last week.
"Because the fact of the matter is that COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on our cities, specifically Black and brown communities with higher death rates," she continued.
Bottoms announced last week that she had tested positive for the coronavirus.
On July 16, Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr filed a lawsuit against Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council to block the mandate.
In a statement on Twitter, Kemp said: "This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times."
"3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, I have been sued by @GovKemp for a mask mandate. A better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing," Bottoms said in response to the lawsuit.
In a tweet, Carr said residents are still encouraged to wear masks, and the lawsuit is about "the rule of law."
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