Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta’s mayor after she defied his order that revoked mask mandates.
Kemp filed a lawsuit against the state’s capital city Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Thursday for defying his earlier order eliminating mask mandates and pulling the city back to “phase one” of coronavirus restrictions.
“This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times. These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth,” Kemp said in a social media post on the lawsuit.
“Just like sending in the Georgia National Guard to protect those living in our capital city from crime and violence, I refuse to sit back and watch as disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. We will fight to stop these reckless actions and put people over pandemic politics,” he continued.
These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth. (2/4)
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 16, 2020
We will fight to stop these reckless actions and put people over pandemic politics. (4/4)
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 16, 2020
In response, Bottoms accused Kemp of wasting taxpayer dollars.
“3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, I have been sued by @GovKemp for a mask mandate. A better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing. #ATLStrong,” Bottoms wrote on Twitter.
3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, I have been sued by @GovKemp for a mask mandate. A better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing. #ATLStrong pic.twitter.com/z4hpTrCS1B
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 16, 2020
Several Democratic mayors on Thursday blasted Kemp after he issued an order requiring them to withdraw mask mandates in their cities, accusing him of politicizing the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s my belief that the city of Atlanta still has the appropriate standing to mandate masks, especially as it relates to buildings and places that we own and operate,” Bottoms said during a virtual press conference. “You all know I love to quote Audre Lorde. She says, ‘I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.’ So I am not afraid of the city being sued. And I’ll put our policies up against anyone’s any day of the week.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson also said he would also continue to enforce mask mandates, which went into effect July 1, despite Kemp’s order, writing in a social media post that the governor “does not give a damn” about his constituents.
“It is officially official. Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us. It is officially every man and woman for himself/herself. Ignore the science and survive the best you can,” Johnson said. “In #Savannah, we will continue to keep the faith and follow the science. Our masks will continue to be available.”
Kemp’s Wednesday order changed guidelines put into place at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in the state, removing mask mandates. However, it also requires citizens at risk of serious infection to shelter in place, restricts gatherings to no more than 50 people, and recommends businesses such as restaurants adhere to new health precautions.
According to the Georgia Department of Health, over 131,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the state, and more than 3,100 people have died from it. A total of 1,178,222 tests have been administered.
