Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told MSNBC this morning that she would issue an executive order requiring Atlanta residents to wear face masks to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Bottoms noted that Savannah, East Point, and Athens had all defied Gov. Brian Kemp’s reopening order that encouraged but did not require masks. “Atlanta is going to defy it today,” Bottoms said on the Morning Joe program. “The State of Georgia has been irresponsible in how it opened back up for business.”
The mayor said she had requested the latitude from Kemp to require face masks in Atlanta, since Fulton County has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state. The governor refused.
“Coronavirus is affecting black and brown communities and with higher death rates,” Bottoms said. “We’ll never be able to reopen our schools and our economy if we don’t take some responsibility for what we can do as leaders.”
She did not elaborate on the mask requirements. INtown is awaiting the text of the mayor’s executive order and will post it as soon as we get it.
Bottoms disclosed that she and some members of her family have tested positive for COVID-19. The mayor, who described her symptoms as feeling like season allergies, said she was concerned that it had taken eight days and two tests to get actual results.
Bottoms held a press conference on July 6 in the wakes of the shooting of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner and various meetings with city officials and staff.
