Atlanta Mayor Defies Governor, Require Masks In City

Atlanta’s mayor has signed an executive order mandating masks, effective immediately, in Georgia’s largest city.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed the order Wednesday. The move could set up a confrontation with the Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has already clashed with Bottoms recently over policing issues. 

Bottoms and other leaders in the state have unsuccessfully appealed to Kemp to change his order that local governments can’t exceed the state's requirements.

Atlanta would not be the first Georgia locality to mandate face coverings. Savannah and the Atlanta suburb of East Point were joined Tuesday by Athens-Clarke County.