Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) filed a lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) over the mask mandate she ordered for her city amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Republican governor’s lawsuit is designed to ban localities from ordering residents to wear masks in public to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Despite Georgia facing daily surges in coronavirus cases, Kemp argues that residents and business owners should decide for themselves.
As Kemp’s lawsuit made headlines, the Republican governor took to Twitter with a series of tweets to reiterate his beliefs as he described the mask mandate as a “reckless” action.
He tweeted, “This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times.”
This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times. (1/4) https://t.co/vxiOmteHaH
— 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
Kemp’s lawsuit has been met with opposition from various state and local officials across the state of Georgia, as previously reported on IJR. Many of the state’s mayors have accused Kemp of publicizing public health.
Despite the lawsuit, Lance Bottoms is defending her mask mandate. She doubled down on her belief of the mandate being “appropriate.”
“I am not afraid of the city being sued,” Lance Bottoms said.
She said during a news conference on Thursday, “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.”
The Atlanta mayor also took to Twitter firing back at Kemp, saying, “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 [Gov. Brian Kemp] for a mask mandate. A better use of taxpayer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing.”
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
She also pointed out that Kemp is suing over the White House’s recommended guidelines.
Lance Bottoms tweeted, “Reading is fundamental. [Gov Kemp] is suing Atlanta over RECOMMENDED guidelines.”
Reading is fundamental. @GovKemp is suing Atlanta over RECOMMENDED guidelines. #ATLStrong pic.twitter.com/j4E2XvZAFJ
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 16, 2020
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson has also shared his reaction to the lawsuit against Lance Bottoms, as he admitted he was “flabbergasted” about the action because he had also issued a mask mandate in his city.
“On one hand we’re fighting Covid. On the other hand, we’re fighting our governor,” Johnson told MSNBC on Thursday. “Our hands should be totally and unequivocally working to fight this virus, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, our governor has chosen and continuously chosen to make a public health emergency into some type of political issue.”
In regard to mask mandates, Kemp signed an executive order on Wednesday that banned cities and counties within the state from issuing their own mask mandates, as IJR reported.
Kemp’s recent lawsuit comes after weeks of criticism over his handling of the coronavirus. The Georgia governor previously found himself at the center of controversy for apparently disregarding reopening guidelines to reopen his state.
Now, Georgia is among the top 10 states facing an accelerated spread of the coronavirus with a seven-day average of approximately 3,200 new daily cases reported for four consecutive days this week.
As of Friday morning, there are more than 3.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States including 131,275 cases in the state of Georgia.
