Savannah mayor responds to Gov. Kemp’s new order

ByWTOC Staff|July 16, 2020 at 8:10 AM EDT - Updated July 16 at 8:23 AM

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah Mayor Van Johnson is responding toGovernor Brian Kemp’s new order, saying the governor does not care about the people of Georgia and that it’s now “every man and woman for him or herself.”

Mayor Johnson addressed the governor’s order in a social media post on Wednesday night.

On Wednesday, Gov. Kemp announced he is explicitly banning Georgia’s cities and counties from ordering people to wear masks in public places. He’s voiding orders that at least 15 local governments across the state had adopted even though Kemp had earlier said cities and counties had no power to order masks. Instead, Kemp has been trying to encourage voluntary mask-wearing.

An increasing number of other states order residents to wear masks in public. In Georgia, communities that have acted include Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Rome and Athens-Clarke County.

Mayor Johnson says masks will continue to be available in the city of Savannah.

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