Keisha Lance Bottoms Responds To Governor’s Mask Suit

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is responding to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s lawsuit to stop her mandate that masks be worn in her city to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“I am not afraid of the city being sued and I’ll put our policies up against anyone’s, any day of the week,” Bottoms said on Thursday (July 16) during a video news conference.

“It’s my belief that the city of Atlanta still has the appropriate standing to mandate masks,” she also said during the conference. “Especially as it relates to buildings and places that we own and operate.”

Kemp’s legal action comes after prominent Democratic mayors in Georgia pledged to challenge an executive order by the governor barring local mask mandates.

Bottoms also took to her Twitter account to combat Kemp’s order.

“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,” she tweeted next to a photo of Kemp’s suit. “A better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing. #ATLStrong.”
 

Last week, Bottoms made statements that people had to return to sheltering at home and forcing restaurants to return to only offering takeout and delivery. Kemp quickly swatted those claims down, and Bottoms on Thursday described them as guidelines.