Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms decided to take matters into her own hands in the fight against COVID-19.
On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, Bottoms has said she will sign an executive order mandating that all residents wear face masks or coverings while in public places in the city of Atlanta, according to WABE.
The announcement and order come days after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp decided not to issue a statewide mandate for face masks to be worn in the public, Bottoms told “Good Morning America.”
Kemp also issued an order that bars local governments from setting their own public health policies. However, Georgia is in a crisis. It became the ninth state to record more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and the numbers have risen over the past few weeks.
At press time, 100,470 people have tested positive for COVID-19, 2,899 have died, and 12,226 have been hospitalized, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Savannah became the first city in Georgia to issue a mandate requiring face masks. The city of East Point and Athens-Clarke County also passed similar orders on Tuesday, July 7.
Bottoms’ decision to issue an executive order regarding face coverings in Atlanta comes after she announced that she and two of her family members had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
