Georgia Governor Overrides Local Mask Mandates

The debate over wearing masks in public continues to rage as the number of coronavirus cases soars across the country. While there is no federal mandate to wear masks, many states and municipalities have enacted emergency orders requiring people to cover their faces while in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Those mandates have been met with fierce opposition from people who claim that being forced to cover their faces is a violation of their rights.

In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp sided with the anti-mask protesters and issued an executive order repealing the mandates, which were put in place by at least 15 local governments throughout the state.

A spokesperson for Kemp said that while he encourages people to wear masks, he felt that the mandates were unenforceable.

"Previous executive orders - and now this order - state no local action can be more or less restrictive than ours," said Candice Broce, Communications Director, and Chief Deputy Executive Counsel for Governor Kemp. "We have explained that local mask mandates are unenforceable. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public."

Georgia reported 3,871 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday (July 15), bringing the state's total to 127,838.

Photo: Getty Images


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