MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Starting on Saturday morning, the city of Milledgeville will have a new mask ordinance in place. You're expected to wear it in all public places within city limits.
Milledgeville city manager Hank Griffeth says city council had discussed a mask mandate for weeks. Now that it's passed, he hopes people will follow it.
"I look at it very much like the speed limit -- not everyone's gonna comply, but everyone knows what the law is," he says.
Griffeth says the ordinance will be in place indefinitely. It will be up to the Milledgeville Police Department to enforce it.
The first strike is a verbal warning. From there, citations are given out.
"The first citation is a $25 fine, the second and subsequent citations are a $50 fine," says Griffeth.
Griffeth says the mandate stops once you leave the city limits..
On Tuesday, the Baldwin County Commission voted against a countywide mandate, but it did reinforce that people should wear masks in county buildings.
Commission Chairman Henry Craig says it was a 2-3 decision, but it could be reevaluated in a special meeting Monday afternoon at 3 p.m.
"The mayor of Milledgeville and I communicate almost daily about issues including COVID-19 and we are trying to work together for uniform policy throughout the county and city," says Craig.
The campuses of Georgia College, Georgia Military college, and Baldwin County Schools are all exempt from this ordinance.
Griffeth says the full text will soon be available on the city's website.