Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed an executive order preventing local officials from requiring businesses to enact Covid-related mandates and other restrictions aimed at limiting the virus' spread.
Kemp urged unvaccinated Georgians to speak with trusted sources and "see about getting vaccinated if they have not already."
"But Georgians know the risk of Covid-19 and they also know how to go about their lives," he said. "That's why the executive order I signed today will ensure that businesses can not be forced to follow local government ordinances regarding Covid -19. Local governments will not be able to force businesses to be the city's mask police."
The order comes after multiple Georgia localities enacted new mask mandates amid surging cases and hospitalizations attributed to the highly infectious delta variant. It does not prohibit businesses from enacting their own mask requirements, capacity limits or vaccine mandates.
With the delta variant surging across the South, Georgia has seen its highest recorded case counts and hospitalization totals since late January. The state has one of the nation's lowest vaccine rates, with less than 40 percent of the total population being fully inoculated, according to an NBC News tracker.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that intensive care units across the state are overflowing with Covid patients, with 10 of the 14 hospital regions in the state having more than 90 percent of their ICU beds currently occupied. Additionally, the publication reported at least 19 school districts in the state have temporarily pulled back on fully in-person learning as the school year gets underway with the virus resurgent and children under 12 unable to receive the vaccine.
"As public health officials, parents, and Georgians at large beg Kemp to take action to combat the current COVID-19 surge in our state, the only action he is apparently willing to take is one that will help COVID-19 spread in Georgia and undermine local efforts to control the virus," Rebecca Galanti, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement.
Kemp, a Republican, is among a number of GOP governors who've moved to limit the ability of city and county officials to implement new mask mandates and vaccine requirements in recent months.
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August 20, 2021 at 04:35AM
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Georgia governor bars local officials from ordering businesses to enact mask mandates - NBC News
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