Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms claims Georgia gov is ‘putting politics over people’
Governor Brian Kemp sued Lance Bottoms earlier in the week over a mandatory mask rule
This week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp stunned many in the state when he filed a lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council over their mandatory mask rule. Now Bottoms is sitting down for her first interview since the announcement to share how she really feels about the latest chapter in their ongoing battle over what the community needs during COVID-19.
Friday morning, during an interview with CBS This Morning, the mayor raised concerns about the timing of the lawsuit. She alleged it occurred very closely after President Donald Trump visited the state without wearing a mask.
Read More: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms orders masks to be worn in public
“It’s really odd that the governor has filed this lawsuit,” she noted, pointing out that several jurisdictions across the state have also instituted the mask order.
“It is very clear that the governor is putting politics over people and I join several mayors across our state who will continue to enforce our mask mandate and we will have to fight the governor about this in court,” she continued.
Bottoms, who is under quarantine after contracting COVID-19 herself, strongly believes the mandate was a necessity. She opined that Kemp is incapable of admitting that being he’s a Trump “loyalist” who goes out of his way to please the current administration.
READ MORE: Georgia confirms 1K new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours
“To be sued based upon issuing voluntary advisory recommendations really is just a waste of taxpayer money in our state. We don’t have appropriate contact tracing, we don’t have adequate testing in our state,” she argued.
“I personally waited eight days for results, and by the time I got my results when I was tested, it was one person in my household who was asymptomatic and positive. Eight days later my self and my husband were then positive for COVID-19 and my husband being very ill.”
She also admitted that she thinks Kemp’s actions have directly led to a significant number of avoidable deaths in the state. Georgia saw an uptick in numbers, particularly in Black communities and among elderly residents.
“I think that when you are reckless as the governor has been, when you disregard science as the governor has done, then certainly people are suffering and people are dying in our state and our numbers are rising at a record rate,” Bottoms concluded.
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