Kemp, Mayor Disagree If Mask Mandate Is Politics, Saves GA Lives

ATLANTA, GA — A contentious week in Georgia politics included Gov. Brian Kemp continually butting heads with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, which ended in a lawsuit over mask requirements. Both leaders made public appearances Friday morning to accuse the other of exploiting the mask issue for political gain during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kemp's office filed a lawsuit Thursday afternoon seeking to ban Lance Bottoms' mask mandate. The announcement followed the mayor's news conference in which she said her order was "enforceable." The mayor said in a TV interview that Kemp filed the lawsuit to placate President Donald Trump.

While many people are struggling to put food on the table, find a job or keep their businesses open, Kemp said during a news conference Friday morning, some leaders have "decided to play politics by exploiting these difficult, emotional moments for political gain."

"Yesterday, we filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta on behalf of business owners, their employees and hardworking Georgians throughout the region who continue to struggle to make ends meet," Kemp said Friday. "Men and women have seen their paychecks disappear. Fathers, mothers, sisters and brother are barely hanging on.

"Mayor Bottoms' mask mandate cannot be enforced, but her decision to shutter businesses and undermine economic growth is devastating," Kemp said. "Atlanta businesses are hurting, violent crime is up and families are rightfully worried. Just like sending in the National Guard to protect those living in our capital city from crime and violence, I refuse to sit back and watch these disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. We will fight to stop reckless actions, and put people over pandemic politics."

The mayor fired back in an interview with "CBS This Morning" that Kemp was working to please Trump and not helping the people of Georgia as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise.

Kemp's timing in filing the lawsuit is odd, Lance Bottoms said, since the city of Savannah filed an order requiring masks July 1, and on July 8 the governor's hometown of Athens instituted a mask mandate.

“It was not until we instituted a mask order in Atlanta — and I pointed out that Donald Trump violated that order when he landed at our airport and did not wear a mask — that the governor filed suit against us," Lance Bottoms told CBS. "So it’s very clear the governor is putting politics over people.”

Kemp acknowledged that many across the state, including elected officials, have asked him to mandate masks in Georgia.

"While we all agree that wearing a mask is effective, I'm confident that Georgians don't need a mandate to do the right thing," Kemp said. "I know that Georgians can rise to this challenge, and they will. I know Georgians will do their part to defeat this deadly virus."

Lance Bottoms said that mask use must be mandatory to lower the spread of the disease, and she told CBS that Atlanta business owners told her a mandate would be helpful to them.

"Wearing a mask helps stop the spread of this virus, and so we will continue to do everything we can do to make sure that people are safe,” she said.

Kemp issued a charge to local leaders to enforce the current executive order.

"Enforce the rules that we have put in place to keep employees and customers safe at local businesses," he said. "Enforce the provisions that ensure folks are staying 6 feet apart at large gatherings. Enforce measures to protect the medically fragile. And use your bully pulpit, your social media channels and connections with the local media to help build support for wearing a mask when needed."

Atlanta authorities can issue a citation or fine people who do not wear a mask, the mayor said.

She said Wednesday that when Trump announced changes to environmental regulations, he violated the rules of the city and showed a blatant disregard for science.

"Right in our back yard, we have the CDC, we have Emory University, that said wearing a mask will help stop the spread of this virus,” Lance Bottoms said.

Kemp said the fight against the coronavirus is "far from over." The state is tracking data hourly, he said, and has identified hot spots as churches, manufacturing plants and long-term care facilities.

The state has been working to safeguard surge capacity in hospitals as they have begun to fill. In the past several weeks, there has been record-demand for testing, Kemp said.

As so, Kemp said many national labs have become backlogged, causing many Georgians to wait days, if not over a week to get results. He said next week a new partner will be announced, adding 10,000 more tests daily.

Georgia doesn’t have adequate contact tracing and testing, Lance Bottoms said. She had to wait eight days for test results when a family member contracted the coronavirus, and by the time her exposure was confirmed, her husband was very ill from COVID-19.

“I absolutely think that it’s costing lives,” she said.

On Thursday, Georgia had tallied a total of over 3,100 COVID-19 deaths, and more than 130,000 residents have tested positive, many of them senior citizens and in minority communities, the mayor said.

“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," Lance Bottoms said. "And our numbers are rising at a record rate.”

Georgia is reporting nearly 20,000 tests daily, but more is needed, Kemp said.

"We have more than 172 state-run testing sites open, and we will continue to partner with local and private entities to expand access in targeted communities," he said. "As Georgia continues to boost testing, add hospital beds, deliver PPE and provide medical staffing, I'm asking Georgians to do their part. After all, it's the community that defeats this virus, not the government. This has been a long, hard battle for all of us."

The governor asked for younger Georgians to heed public health guidelines and to realize their actions could impact their loved ones. Doing so, Kemp said he's asking all Georgians to do four things, for four weeks:

1. Wear a mask when out in public or when you cannot distance yourself inside.
2. Practice physical distancing. Stay at least 6 feet from those you don't live with.
3. Continue to wash your hands throughout the day with soap and hot water.
4. Follow the executive order and heed the guidance provided by public health officials.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported a total of 131,275 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at 2:50 p.m. Thursday. That's 3,891 more than was reported at the same time Wednesday. Georgia's record for most new COVID-19 cases in a day is 4,484, set on July 10.

Georgia also reported 3,104 deaths so far from COVID-19, 13 more that reported Wednesday. In addition, the state reported 14,346 hospitalizations — 244 more than the day before — and 2,736 admissions to intensive-care units.

Globally, more than 13.8 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 592,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Friday.

In the United States, more than 3.6 million people have been infected and more than 138,600 people have died from COVID-19 as of Friday. The U.S. has only about 4 percent of the world's population but more confirmed cases and deaths than any other country.

Related:

• Gov. Kemp's Office Files Lawsuit To Block Mayor's Mask Mandate
• GA's Coronavirus Restrictions Extended Again As Cases Rise
• White House Document Shows Georgia In Coronavirus 'Red Zone'
• New COVID-19 Cases In GA Nearly 4K For Second Straight Day