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Georgia cities modifying mask mandates as others look to create them under new executive order

Some Georgia cities with existing mask mandates are modifying them to fit Gov. Brian Kemp’s new COVID-19 executive order.

Channel 2′s Richard Elliott spoke on Monday with several mayors about the order issued by the governor over the weekend.

For weeks, Kemp’s previous executive orders did not allow local governments to enforce their own mask mandates. The latest executive order now gives counties and municipalities the ability to enact and enforce them but only on government property.

Leaders still can’t enforce them on private property without the property owner’s consent. The governor’s executive order also puts a $50 cap on how much cities can fine violators.

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz said it doesn’t need to reissue a new mandate but will have to tweak the existing one.

“I think our mask mandate is largely going to remain as it has been and obviously there are some nuances in the governor’s order that are going to mean we’re going to have to make some minor modifications,” Girtz said.

The mayor told Elliot they will be enforcing it on government controlled properties, which includes parks, sidewalks and public right-of-ways.

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Like Athens, the City of South Fulton has had a mask mandate for a while. Mayor Bill Edwards said he doesn’t think much will change under the executive order, but he has been encouraging masks for a long time.

“When I see them, I can’t tell you one place in South Fulton within the last three weeks or so, or maybe months, that people didn’t wear masks,” Edwards told Elliot.

The mayor said the city won’t enforce the mandate on private property but he’ll strongly encourage business owners to comply.

“It does them no good to get the employees infected. We already have small businesses losing money. You get your employees infected, your business is shut down. Doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Edwards said.

Meanwhile, a few governments without mandates are now drafting some of their own. Elliot learned that Sandy Springs is busy trying to create a new mask mandate as soon as Tuesday.

In Cobb County, chairman Mike Boyce said county leaders are reviewing the latest order. Boyce said the order would require three public hearings before the board could approve one.

In a statement Tuesday, the mayor of Sandy Springs said he has ordered people throughout the city to wear a mask when in public places and made masks mandatory when in public buildings and spaces.

“Wearing a mask in public is one of the easiest and most effective means to protect one another from coronavirus, and it will help prevent more restrictive local measures that could involve closing businesses, schools, youth sports, and other important activities to bring the spread of the virus under control,” Mayor Rusty Paul said. “It is a minor inconvenience that has a profound impact on our individual as well as economic health.”

Private businesses or organizations in Sandy Springs opting to exempt themselves from the mask requirement are asked to post a notice in a prominent place noting that are not requiring masks.