Georgia has had more than 127,838 diagnosed cases of COVID-19.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 584,000 people worldwide.
Over 13.5 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.
The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 3.4 million diagnosed cases and at least 137,419 deaths.
Latest headlines:
- Georgia bans local mask mandates
- U.S. coroavirus cases near 3.5 million
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
- What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
- Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map
Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
6:58 a.m..: Tulsa City Council passes mandatory mask ordinance
The Tulsa City Council in Oklahoma has issued a mask mandate less than a month after President Donald Trump held a reelection rally at an arena in the city.
The ordinance was passed with a 7-2 vote and is expected to be signed by Mayor G. T. Bynum on Thursday.
“I am very grateful for the broad support of the City Council in approving this important ordinance. Our local health care leaders made clear how important this is, and the City of Tulsa listened,” Bynum said in a statement Wednesday night. “This pandemic continues to present us with difficult decisions that no elected official would ever want to make, but we will continue to do what we have to do to protect our local health care system.”
The ordinance requires anyone over the age of 18 who will be in public places where social distancing is challenging to wear a mask.
“The science is clear that the use of cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings,” Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Dr. Bruce Dart said in a statement. “Wearing a mask not only considers others, but also allows us the freedom to go about our day during this new normal.”
Tulsa’s face-covering mandate comes just a day after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who attended Trump’s rally without wearing a mask, announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Oklahoma has more than 22,000 diagnosed COVID-19 cases, with at least 432 deaths.
5:42 a.m..: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp bans local mask rules
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday night, which outright banned cities and counties in the state from issuing mask orders to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The move, despite neighboring states like Alabama requiring masks in public, voided mask mandates in 15 local jurisdictions in the Peach State where they had been implemented.
While outlawing mask mandates, Kemp’s executive order “strongly” encourages all residents and visitors in Georgia to “wear face coverings as practicable while outside their homes or place of residence, except when editing, drinking or exercising outdoors.”
Kemp’s order comes after Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottom issued an executive order requiring masks or face coverings in the city on July 8.
The state, according to an internal Federal Emergency Management Agency memo obtained by ABC News, has a test-positivity rate greater than 10%, with record numbers of new cases in rural, urban and suburban areas alike.
Georgia has had more than 127,838 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, with at least 3,091 deaths.
