Georgia governor allows local mask mandates, with limits

Laveta Brigham

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s governor, who has opposed local mask mandates and even sued over one in Atlanta, has signed a new executive order that allows local governments to enact mask requirements to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. As with previous orders, the one issued Saturday says residents and visitors […]

Wear a mask in shops or risk fine

Laveta Brigham

The new policy marks an about-turn on the issue after days of uncertainty. CREDIT: BLOWER – BLOWER If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here. For two-minute audio updates, try The Briefing – on podcasts, smart speakers and WhatsApp. Shoppers who do […]

Some Americans refuse to mask up. Rules, fines and free masks will change that, experts say.

Laveta Brigham

Many Americans have embraced health officials’ recommendation to wear masks in public, but those who refuse to mask up are likely to encounter increasing pressure in the coming weeks and months. There is a “sizable minority” of Americans who are skeptical, Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told USA TODAY — evidenced in […]

How the L.A. apparel industry became mask makers

Laveta Brigham

Abdul Rashid Dadabhoy knew he had a critical problem when Orange County supervisors shut down all nonessential businesses on March 17 in response to the coronavirus, forcing him to halt production at AST Sportswear, one of the nation’s biggest makers of T-shirts. But he also had a nearly instantaneous solution. […]