Multiple Georgia mayors are pushing back against Gov. Brian Kemp for ordering local governments to rescind mask mandates.
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,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance 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 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.
