Atlanta Mayor Slams Governor For Trying To Gag Her On Face Mask Mandate
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) lashed out at Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) for trying to block her order requiring face masks, and for attempting to silence her complaints.
Too many have “sacrificed ... for me to be silent,” the mayor wrote on Instagram over the weekend.
Kemp is suing the mayor and Atlanta’s city council to block the state’s largest city from enforcing its local mandate to wear a face mask in public and other regulations aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Kemp’s lawsuit argues that the mayor overstepped her authority, and that it should be up to the governor to “manage the public health emergency” in the state where cases are soaring.
Kemp last week voided orders in Atlanta and more than a dozen other localities, claiming they had no power to impose restrictions.
Bottoms is defying him. The mayor posted a page from Kemp’s lawsuit on Instagram, highlighting a portion that seeks to “restrain Mayor Bottoms from issuing press releases, or making statements to the press” about her authority to impose emergency health orders.
Bottoms, who has tested positive for COVID-19, defiantly announced at a video news conference the day Kemp filed his lawsuit that Atlanta’s face mask requirement remained in effect.
“A better use of taxpayer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing” the mayor said. “If being sued by the state is what it takes to save lives in Atlanta, then we will see them in court.”
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
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus
Stay up to date with our live blog as we cover the COVID-19 pandemic
What you need to know about face masks right now
How long are asymptomatic carriers contagious?
Lost your job due to coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know.
How to switch off from work when home is your office
8 sleep tips if coronavirus anxiety is keeping you up at night
How long does coronavirus live in the air?
What coronavirus questions are on your mind right now? We want to help you find answers.
Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today
Also on HuffPost
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.