Less than a week after East Point became the first city in Fulton County to require wearing masks in commercial spaces, most county residents were under similar order.
College Park, Union City and South Fulton on Friday joined East Point in defying Gov. Brian Kemp's order in April blocking local governments from creating laws stricter that what he's done at the state level. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Fairburn Mayor Elizabeth Carr-Hurt signed their versions of the law on Wednesday.
Kemp’s spokeswoman called the local laws “unenforceable” but didn’t threaten a lawsuit to stop them.
That means nearly 70 percent of Fulton’s 1 million residents are under what Kemp’s office considers “unenforceable.” Atlanta accounts for 500,000 of those 700,000 residents — though the laws apply to visitors and residents alike.
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None of the North Fulton cities meeting this week plan on even discussing a mask law, according to agendas posted online.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said last week that he and City Council members had debated mandating masks and that he had something drafted, but there wasn’t consensus because some didn’t want to be at odds with Kemp.
As for the other cities in southern Fulton, the Hapeville City Council said people were “strongly encouraged” to wear masks but has no plan to require masks.
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East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham said on July 6 that the cities of Chattahoochee Hills and Palmetto aren’t exploring mask laws.
The parameters of the existing laws vary: some exclude children under age 2 and other cities it’s age 10, then some cities carry warnings before a fine. Fines could be $25 or $75.
Savannah, the first in the state to create a law like this, is fining people $500.
Credit: AJC
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