Nurses preparing a dose of coronavirus vaccine in Savannah, Ga., in December 2020. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Savannah, Georgia, will again require people to wear face masks while inside public places because of a “steep and alarming rise” in COVID-19 cases, Mayor Van Johnson announced Monday, per AP.
Why it matters: Savannah is the most recent major U.S. city to reimpose some coronavirus restrictions in response to an increase in cases and hospitalizations.
By the numbers: Chatham County's seven-day rolling average of new cases has sharply increased over the last week.
- The county is currently reporting an average of 62 new cases per day, according to state data.
- The county also registered 55 hospitalizations from the virus on July 23.
The big picture: Statewide, cases are almost five times as high as they were in late June, according to AP.
Go deeper: COVID cases are up 55% across the U.S.