blaine alexander is with us in atlanta where the mayor who has the coronavirus ordered people to wear masks in public. blaine, i wish you luck explaining this disconnect. >> reporter: well, that is exactly what it is, a disconnect. this intensifies this kind of ongoing battle we've seen between governor kemp and local leaders here in georgia that we've seen for the better party of the pandemic. we heard from atlanta mayor, i spoke with her office today, they made it clear the local order enforcing masks is remaining in place. she said she's not at all concerned about the state possibly suing the city over this. she said i will put our policies up against any other policies any day of the week. what you're seeing here, brian, from those who have put this in place is defiance. it bears mentioning this stands in line with what governor kemp has said all along. he said local leaders can't put in place restrictions that are tougher than his. he's put this in writing for the first time. here's what the mayor of savannah had to say. >> i've been flaggbbergasted by what has occurred here. ala

. >> as she often does, correspondent blaine alexander with us from atlanta. >> brian, the state of coronavirus right now is that the numbers are going up. in fact we learned more grim numbers, an increase in hospitalizations over the past week, seven-day moving average of new cases we know that in the month of july that number has tripled from what we saw back in april, certainly the number's going in the wrong direction. as for the mask debate, you know it's certainly intensifying here in atlanta, for governor kemp it comes down to encouragement versus enforcement. i have spoken to you before about the fact that he's been encouraging people to wear masks, but when it comes to enforcement he stopped short of doing that. this morning, i pressed him on that. if you said masks are necessary why not take that extra step, mandating masks to underscore that encouragement you're saying, he responded in part by saying there are some mandates that are currently not being enforced. he talked about the fact that the government isn't going to be the answer to all people's problems, so that was the standpo

blaine alexander, nbc news atlanta >>> there's new fallout from that widely viewe video of a white womanalling 911 on a black man in central park. amy cooper is now charged with filing a false report after telling police in may that a bird watcher threatened her life. if convicted, cooper faces up to a year in jail. >>> we're back in a moment with new details in the arrest of ghislaine maxwell, accused of enabling jeffrey epstein's years of abuse one of his accusers is now speaking out explore floor and decor your way, and comfortably shop over a million square feet of in- stock flooring! our expansive store is fully equipped with safe distancing guides, so you can browse our wide aisles and be amazed with our even wider selection. or easily order online, and pick up all the products you need for your flooring project curbside! so come discover the perfect floor at the perfect price in whatever way is perfect for you. all in one stop! visit floor and decor in person or online. >>> tonight jeffrey epstein's alleged accomplice has been moved to a new york city jail cell as new details emer

. >> nbc's blaine alexander is in atlanta. blayne, how does the governor justify suing to stop them from doing what every public health official recommends them to do? >> reporter: andrea, it comes down to encouraging people to wear masks as opposed to enforcing it. the governor says he encourages people to wear masks, in fact he's gone on a tour of the state asking people to do so, but again, he's not requiring it. he said he doesn't believe that georgians need a mandate to do the right thing. anecdotally, when you look around atlanta, around different parts of state, it really is a mixed bag, some people are wearing masks and others choose not to. i asked the governor this morning at what point would he change and require people to wear masks if he sees that simply asking them to do so isn't working. here is a little bit of his answer. >> what kind of message does it send when you have mandates already that people aren't enforcing? it sends the message that the mandate doesn't mean anything. i'm asking people -- you know, go