Certain businesses in the state could reopen as early as Friday.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms suggested Monday she was blindsided by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement of plans to begin reopening the state before the end of the week, as other local leaders expressed similar frustration with the governor’s move.
“I have a great working relationship with our governor, but I did not speak with him before he made this announcement,” Bottoms told CNN.
Bottoms said she contacted Augusta, Georgia, Mayor Hardie Davis, who leads the state’s second-largest city, and reported that he also had not conferred with Kemp about the latest directive. “I’ve spoken with several leaders across this state. So we really are at a loss, and I am concerned as a mother and as the mayor of our capital city,” she said.
“I’m perplexed that we have opened up in this way. And again, I can’t stress enough, I work very well with our governor, and I look forward to having a better understanding of what his reasoning is,” Bottoms added. “But as I look at the data and as I talk with our public health officials, I don’t see that it’s based on anything that’s logical.”
The mayor’s remarks came after Kemp said earlier Monday that certain businesses in Georgia shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic — including gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors — could reopen as early as Friday if owners adhere to stringent social-distancing and hygiene requirements. Next Monday, movie theaters may also reopen and restaurants will be allowed to return to limited dine-in service.
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, Mayor Kelly Girtz said Tuesday those “high contact environments” are “exactly the kind of places that we need to have maintain closure for the moment,” and told CNN he was urging his constituents not to follow the governor’s advice for reopening.
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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms suggested Monday she was blindsided by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's announcement of plans to begin reopening the state before the end of the week https://t.co/6DN8F24czm
— POLITICO (@politico) April 21, 2020
Gov. Brian Kemp: "We will allow gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, aestheticians, their respective schools, and massage therapists to reopen their doors this Friday, April the 24th." pic.twitter.com/33OgHuAR4o
— The Hill (@thehill) April 21, 2020
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms: "I really am at a loss as to what the governor [Brian Kemp] is basing this decision on, other than getting people back to work." pic.twitter.com/S5nTLIa7Ur
— The Hill (@thehill) April 21, 2020
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