As the U.S. continues to battle record numbers of new COVID-19 infections, the debate over face masks is escalating in some cities. 

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order on Wednesday, banning cities from implementing mask mandates. 

The order will void moves requiring masks already in place in several cities and counties. 

The same day Kemp issued the order, Georgia recorded its second-highest number of new cases, since the pandemic started, according to the Washington Post. 

"It is officially official. Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us," said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson on Twitter.

Johnson was the first local Georgia official to implement a mask mandate. 

As the Trump administration shifts how COVID-19 data is reported to the government, Ryan Panchadsaram, who helps run a data-tracking site about the virus says some Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information is already missing from their website. 

"We were surprised because the modules that we normally go to were empty. The data wasn't available and not there," Panchadsaram told CNBC. 

On Wednesday, the CDC announced hospitals will be ordered by the White House to send patient data to the Department of Health and Human services instead of the CDC. 

According to CNBC, the CDC has restored the missing data on their site but have added a note saying, "This file will not be updated after July 14, 2020 and includes data from April 1 to July 14." 

The pandemic has also brought record levels of unemployment in the U.S. 

Another 1.3 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. 

Maryland is investigating a COVID-19 unemployment insurance fraud scheme. 

Officials say it involves more than $500 million and used stolen identities to submit false claims. 

Governor Larry Hogan said the scheme involved over 47,500 fraudulent claims. 

Forbes reports Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington have also experienced unemployment benefit theft. 

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