Georgia Governor Brian Kemp suspended an anti-mask statute Tuesday that made obtaining masks difficult.

“We’ve issued guidance and orders to protect [our aging population],” said Kemp, “and we’ve taken measured steps to shield them from harm.”

The law (OC GA 16-11-38) was enacted in 1951 to prevent public wearing of Ku Klux Klan hoods and other head and face coverings. This was meant to avert public violence. “A person is guilty of a misdemeanor when he or she wears a mask, hood, or device by which any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer and is upon any public way or public property,” says the statute.

On April 10, Georgia state senator Nikema Williams urged Kemp to suspend the anti-mask legislation because of the “greater effect it [has] on Black communities […] where cops assume that people are engaging in suspicious behavior purely because of the color of their skin.” Williams also cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Kemp’s press release notes that “by leveraging technology and embracing innovation, we can ease the burden on medical facilities and provide patients access to the care that they need.”

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