The governor of Georgia has thrown a wrench into the drive to get people to don masks against COVID-19 by banning more than a dozen local governments in his state from mandating that they be worn in public.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued his executive order Wednesday, the same day the Republican governor of another state that has seen a surge in new cases, Mike DeWine of Ohio, changed course and urged residents to wear masks at all times when outside.
Kemp spokeswoman Candice Broce insisted in a tweet the governor was not against wearing masks.
“Previous executive orders — and now this order — state no local action can be more or less restrictive than ours,” Broce wrote. “We have explained that local mask mandates are unenforceable. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat touted as one of Joe Biden's potential vice-presidential picks, quickly pushed back against Kemp’s ban.
"The Mayor’s Order remains in effect, as science and data will continue to drive the City’s decisions," Bottoms' spokesman Michael Smith said. "Masks save lives."
In Georgia, 3,871 new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday — the second highest daily total since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest NBC News tally. In total, Georgia has reported 127,834 cases and recorded 3,091 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Kemp’s move came as more and more Republicans who had previously been reluctant to wear masks were changing their tune and the numbers of new cases were climbing at a staggering rate, especially among children as Florida officials are now reporting
Even President Donald Trump, a Kemp ally, was seen over the weekend wearing a mask for the first time at a public event.
Most medical experts agree wearing masks, coupled with social distancing, are effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19, a deadly virus that — as of Thursday morning — has claimed 138,382 lives in the U.S., with 3,522,672 cases reported, the latest NBC News figures show.
With those staggering sums in mind, Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, Kroger, the country’s biggest supermarket chain, and Target, announced Wednesday that they would will require customers to put on a mask or face covering inside stores.
In doing so, these companies joined the ranks of giant retailers like Best Buy, Costco and Apple, which had already been requiring masks.
But enforcing those rules have, at times, led to clashes – some even deadly -- with customers claiming their rights are being curtailed and others who just refuse to wear them.
In Utah, which has also seen a rapid rise in new coronavirus cases, parents objecting to a new requirement that kids wear masks packed a Utah County commission meeting and flouted social distancing rules by pulling the tape off seats that were not supposed to be used.
Many wore “Trump 2020” hats and almost none wore a mask.
Meanwhile in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which hosted a Trump rally last month after which some campaign staffers and notable Republican attendees like the state’s governor Kevin Stitt got infected, passed a mandate requiring people to wear masks in public.
Nationwide, most of the victims have until recently been senior citizens. But experts are blaming young people crowding into newly-reopened bars and restaurants — and failing to social distance or wear masks — for the staggering rise in COVID-19 cases across the country.
In Florida, nearly one-third of children tested for the coronavirus have been positive, according to local media reports.
And Dr. Alina Alonso, the director of Palm Beach County’s health department, warned there could be long-term health effects on children who contract the virus now.
“They are seeing there is damage to the lungs in these asymptomatic children,” Alonso told county commissioners. “We don’t know how that is going to manifest a year from now or two years from now. Is that child going to have chronic pulmonary problems or not?”
Alonso’s warning appeared to be at odds with message that Gov. Ron DeSantis has been emphasizing while pushing to have school reopen in September. DeSantis, a father of three young children, has insisted that he would send his kids to school if they were old enough to attend.
Florida, where the Republican convention is scheduled to be held next month, passed a dismal benchmark Wednesday with more than 300,000 cases of COVID-19 reported since the start of the pandemic. Numerous hospitals across the state also reported they were fast running out of ICU beds for infected patients.
"news" - Google News
July 16, 2020 at 11:57PM
https://ift.tt/2ZA3aRh
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp bans local governments from mandating masks - NBC News
"news" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2DACPId
https://ift.tt/2Wh3f9n
Bagikan Berita Ini
Related Posts :
After Electoral College Votes, More Republicans Warily Accept Trump’s Loss - The New York Times- 4 Takeaways From Biden’s Electoral College Victory - The New York Times
- Biden hails democracy and rebukes Trump after electoral college victory - The Guardian
- Putin Congratulates Biden on U.S. Election Win After Electoral College Vote - The New York Times
- Electoral College Vote Officially Affirms Biden’s Victory - The New York Times
0 Response to "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp bans local governments from mandating masks - NBC News"
Post a Comment