Savannah Mayor Van Johnson proposed mandatory protective masks in all public spaces during an emergency City Council meeting Monday.
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The meeting was called after an increase in coronavirus cases in Chatham County as the summer tourist season gets into full swing.
With the guidance of the city attorney, Johnson said he will look into mandatory face coverings in all public spaces.
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Coastal Health Director Dr. Lawton Davis warned because coronavirus testing is in such high demand, his district could run out of test collections samples by the end of the week.
As of Monday in Georgia, almost 66,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported, with 2,648 deaths.
More young people throughout the South are reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus, as states reopen bars, restaurants and other popular locales with lessening social distancing requirements.
During the last two weeks, Alabama had the second-highest number of new cases per capita in the nation. South Carolina was fourth. Louisiana and Mississippi were also in the top 10.
As of Monday morning, Alabama had more than 30,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than a quarter of the cases reported in the last two weeks.
In Florida, where health experts are predicting will be the virus’ next epicenter, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the median age was 37 for newly diagnosed coronavirus cases during the last week. In the state, 62% of new cases for the week of June 7 were under 45 years old, he said.
On Saturday, Florida reported 4,049 new cases, the most reported in a single day for the state.
DeSantis said cases are “shifting in a radical direction” toward younger populations. “We’re also seeing that not only are they testing positive because they’re testing more, they’re also testing positive at a higher rate increasingly over the last week,” DeSantis said.
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