Georgia Massaged Virus Data to Reopen, Then Voided Mask Orders

  • Even as surge becomes unignorable, Kemp stays the course
  • A model case for an aggressive reopening tumbles into crisis
Brian Kemp speaks during a ‘Wear A Mask’ tour stop in Dalton, Georgia on July 2.Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg
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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s edict expressly voiding coronavirus mask orders by local governments capped a week of turmoil in a state once touted as proof that reopening in a pandemic could work.