Savannah on Monday reintroduced a mask mandate, following a trail blazed by Los Angeles County and St Louis in a bid to stop the soaring COVID-19 case numbers.
The mayor of the Georgia city, Van Johnson, said that the number of new cases was at a high not seen since March.
He said the latest seven-day rolling average of newly reported cases was 62.6 - up from 7.3 on June 28.
'Given our current situation, based on the advice of these esteemed medical professionals behind me, I have ordered the reinstatement of Savannah's mask mandate effective immediately,' he said.
Van Johnson, the mayor of Savannah, Georgia, on Monday announced that his city is bringing in a new mask mandate to stop the spread of COVID-19
The mayor tweeted a message informing Savannah's citizens about the new rules
A sign is posted inside Grand Central Market in Los Angeles on July 19. A new mask mandate went into effect on July 17
'How we handle this place where we are now will determine how our rest of our year returns.
'We've come too far and we've done so well. Our businesses are booming and things are looking up for us to go back here.
'But as far as I'm concerned, our first priority is to keep our citizens safe, to keep our employees safe. To keep our employees that are working in hospitality and tourism industry safe. And certainly keep our visitors safe.
'So it's for me, the short and long-term health effects associated COVID-19 are too high.'
He pleaded with people in his city to get vaccinated, as a matter of urgency, and pointed out that children cannot be currently vaccinated, and so are vulnerable.
'Anyone who has been hesitant about getting the vaccine,' he said.
'The wait and see what happens. Time is over.'
Savannah had a mask mandate until June, when the case load went down and the rule was shelved.
People wear face coverings as they pass through Union Station in Los Angeles on July 19
Johnson's announcement comes as Georgia is concerned about a rise in the Delta variant.
Case numbers have risen 203 per cent over the past two weeks, and the state currently has only 48 per cent of its population above 18 fully vaccinated.
Savannah's decision came on the day that the St. Louis area became one of the first in the United States to reinstate mask requirements..
Despite pushback from some elected officials, face coverings became mandatory Monday in indoor public places and on public transportation in St. Louis city and St. Louis County for everyone age five or older - even for those who are vaccinated.
As in Savannah, wearing masks outdoors is strongly encouraged, especially in group settings.
The decision comes as both of Missouri's urban areas see a big uptick in coronavirus hospitalizations that began in rural areas of the state,
