#Georgia Gov. Kemp sues Atlanta mayor to block mask mandate

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing the mayor of Atlanta in a bid to block a mandate enforcing masks in public, calling it an overreach of her powers — even as he calls for residents to wear a mask.

The Republican governor filed the suit against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms — a Democrat considered to be in the running as a potential Joe Biden VP pick — on Thursday evening as the state experiences a surge in new coronavirus infections.

“This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times,” Kemp said in a statement, according to an Atlanta News Now report.

More than 100,000 Georgians, including Bottoms, have tested positive for the virus, prompting Atlanta to revert to phase 1 guidelines which shuttered restaurant dining rooms and urged locals to stay at home.

Bottoms’ order defies an edict that Kemp signed earlier this week banning cities from enforcing mask mandates.

However, in a dizzying turn of events, Kemp on Friday morning urged residents to wear a mask and called on “younger Georgians to recognize the importance of following public health guidance.”

“I know that many well-intentioned and well-informed Georgians want a mask mandate and while we all agree that wearing a mask is effective, I’m confident that Georgians don’t need a mandate to do the right thing,” he said at a press conference.

In a tweet on Thursday evening, Bottoms lashed Kemp and accused him of wasting taxpayer dollars amid a health crisis.

“3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19,” she wrote.

“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,” she added.

Georgia was one of the first states in the country to reopen back in April as the pandemic raged, a move Bottoms described as “reckless.”