Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says that Georgia’s largest city is close to lifting restrictions based on statistical data pegged to the deaths and infections from the coronavirus pandemic.
Lance Bottoms has been a vocal critics of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s re-opening of the state, which took place more than three weeks ago.
“Right now, based on our analysis of the data that we have from the state we are on a 10-day decline,” she told CNN. “We need four more days to be on that 14-day decline that we have been awaiting.”
“Things are not as bad as I thought yet and I am very hopeful that they continue that way, but as we know, with COVID-19 there is often a lag in infections and when people begin to actually show symptoms and get sick.”
Lance Bottoms admits that the COVID-19 case count has surprised her as the numbers seem to have stabilized rather than skyrocketed despite huge crowds at some events.
“Right now it appears that we’re doing better as a state I will keep watching and waiting,” she says.
But Georgia is not out of the clear, especially when it comes to controversy.
It was revealed recently that the state’s health department, which keeps an official count of COVID-19 cases and deaths, had some bad numbers in its graphics.
The bar graphs showed a gradual decline in cases, but after further scrutiny, it was learned that the days were put out of order, on at least three occasions.
Atlanta has also become the epicenter of a tug-of-war between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, which is based here.
The CDC’s quiet release of reopening guidelines has largely been ignored by the nation’s governors.
Georgia Restaurants, Other Business Mixed On Reopening
Some restaurants have refused to re-open, citing that not enough time has passed. And some people have began protesting on city streets.
Despite the flip, Kemp says he’s more worried about his state’s businesses than any flak from others.
“I got some people protesting because I took this step, and I got others protesting me because they think I didn’t go far enough.”
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links: