Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Georgia Governor Files Suit Against Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Requirement
The Hill: Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Mandate
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and state Attorney General Chris Carr (R) on Thursday sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) and the Atlanta City Council to block the city’s coronavirus mask mandate after Kemp issued an executive order overruling such mandates at the local level. “This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times,” Kemp said in a statement Thursday. “These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth.” (Budryk, 7/16)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Kemp’s Office Seeks To Block Atlanta Mask Mandate In Court
The legal complaint, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, came one day after Kemp signed a statewide order that explicitly bans cities and counties from enforcing mask mandates. Atlanta and a dozen other cities have adopted such requirements, defying an order from Kemp that encourages but not mandates them. (Bluestein, 7/16)
CNN: Georgia Mayors Speak Out Against Governor's Ban On Face Mask Mandates
Mayors across Georgia stood behind Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Thursday after the state's governor filed a lawsuit against her over the city's mask mandate. Gov. Brian Kemp said the measure violates his emergency orders prohibiting local leaders from adding to the state's requirements to protect against coronavirus. The lawsuit escalates a feud between Kemp and Bottoms after she introduced an order that makes not wearing a mask within city limits punishable by a fine or up to six months in jail. (Holcombe, 7/17)
Georgia Health News: Fight Between Kemp And Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Mandate Heads To Court
Several cities, including Savannah, Augusta and Athens, have mandated mask wearing in public, despite Kemp’s executive order that precludes local jurisdictions from adopting stricter COVID-19 regulations than the state’s. Some mayors have indicated they will not comply with his order to end compulsory mask-wearing. (Miller, 7/16)
In mask news from Utah, Illinois and Massachusetts —
AP: Crowded Meeting With Few Masks 'Foolish,' Utah Governor Says
People crowding into a public meeting in Utah to push for an exception to mask requirements in schools was “foolish” and suggested an “almost mob mentality” on the issue, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday. Herbert spoke the day after local officials in Utah County abruptly canceled the meeting because the crowd did not follow social-distancing guidelines meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Utah, like many states, has been experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases in recent months. (7/17)
AP: Pritzker Lawsuit Seeks Face Mask Order For Illinois Schools
Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the unusual step Thursday of preemptively filing a lawsuit to ensure school children wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when schools reopen in a few weeks. ... “As a father, I would not send my children to a school where face coverings are not required because the science is clear: face coverings are critical to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” Pritzker said in a prepared statement. (O'Connor, 7/16)
Boston Globe: Masks Are The ‘Most Important’ Tool In Keeping State’s Coronavirus Rate Low, Baker Says
Citing the recent spike in COVID-19 infections in other parts of the country, Governor Charlie Baker on Thursday urged state residents to remain vigilant and wear face coverings when they can’t socially distance in an effort to keep infection rates low in Massachusetts, where the seven-day average of positive tests continues to hover around 2 percent. (Andersen and Reiss, 7/16)
In mask news from Capitol Hill —
The Hill: Feinstein Proposes Withholding COVID-19 Relief From States Without Mask Mandates
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called on the Senate on Thursday to support an amendment to the next coronavirus relief bill that would bar states that do not implement mask mandates from receiving stimulus funding. In a statement from the senator's office, Feinstein announced her intention to introduce the amendment and stated that it was time for Congress to step in and force states to implement such mandates to stop the virus from spreading. (Bowden, 7/16)
The Hill: GOP Senator: Hispanics Show 'Less Consistent Adherence' To Social Distancing, Mask-Wearing
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Tuesday in a telephone town hall with constituents said he was concerned that Hispanics make up a high percentage of COVID-19 cases in his state, and then attributed this to Hispanics not wearing masks and not socially distancing as much as the rest of the population. "Just wear the mask out of respect. And I will tell you, I'm not a scientist and I'm not a statistician, but one of the concerns that we've had more recently is that the Hispanic population now constitutes about 44 percent of the positive cases," said Tillis, according to a recording of the town hall. (Bernal, 7/16)
