Butts County issues first mask ordinance of the pandemic as case skyrocket

The Butts County Board of Commissioners issued their first mask mandate of the pandemic on Wednesday. The ordinance cited the rise in cases for the county.

The ordinance states, “Butts County has, since March 14, 2020, had over 1,300 cases, 48 deaths, 81 hospitalizations and 35 County employees who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus.”

[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]

“Butts County cases have nearly doubled,” tweeted Deputy County manager J. Michael Brewer. “We had 132 cases this week alone.”

Other Georgia cities like Rome and Covington recently voted to extend their mask ordinances. In Rome for example, the ordinance requires a mask to be worn anywhere in the city. The Butts County ordinance is only for county buildings.

[LINK: Where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia]

The Butts County ordinance goes into effect immediately. The board will have to vote on when to end the ordinance.

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