Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms tells people to ignore Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to reopen businesses: 'There is nothing essential about a bowling alley or a manicure'

• Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms strongly urged her constituents to remain at home to contain the coronavirus through social distancing and ignore Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to rapidly reopen Georgia's economy.
• "Stay home. Listen to the scientists," Bottoms said. "There is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley or getting a manicure in the middle of a pandemic."
• On April 20, less than three weeks into his stay-home order, Kemp announced shelter-in-place would end and businesses all over the state, including gyms, nail salons, and bowling alleys, would reopen as soon as April 27.
• Trump initially supported Kemp's move, but later reversed his position and said he told Kemp he "strongly" disagreed with the rapid reopening.
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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms strongly urged her constituents to remain at home to contain the coronavirus through social distancing and ignore Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to rapidly reopen Georgia's economy.

On April 20, less than three weeks into his stay-home order, Kemp announced shelter-in-place would end and businesses all over the state, including gyms, nail salons, and bowling alleys, would reopen as soon as April 27.

"Stay home. Listen to the scientists," Bottoms told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News' "Good Morning America" on Friday. "There is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley or getting a manicure in the middle of a pandemic."

Bottoms told Stephanopoulos that Kemp had not explained to her how his decision was guided by science or experts, and the mayor said Georgia doesn't have its infection rate under control. Kemp has a history of ignoring science, claiming he only realized the virus could be transmitted by asymptomatic people in early April — weeks after this crucial fact was widely known.

"I'm looking at data that shows that our numbers are not going down," Bottoms said. "Our death rate is continuing to go up ... To make an assumption that we are out of the woods is not based on anything other than a desire to open up businesses."

She added, "There are some who are willing to sacrifice lives for the sake of the economy and that is unacceptable to me."

The mayor said her city is attempting to financially support workers and businesses most severely impacted by the economic shutdown, including beauty salons and barber shops.

The lift of Georgia's lockdown was met with backlash and health experts have warned that reopening too quickly without sufficient testing and contact tracing could mean a second, potentially more devastating wave of infections.

Trump initially supported Kemp's move, but later reversed his position and said he told Kemp he "strongly" disagreed with the reopening.

"I told the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities which are in violation of the Phase 1 guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia," Trump said, referring to federal guidelines for the first stages of business reopenings.

"I want him to do what he thinks is right," the president added. "But I disagree with him on what he's doing, but I want to let the governors do — now if I see something totally egregious, totally out of line, I'll do — but I think spas and beauty salons and tattoo parlors and barbershops in Phase 1 — we're going to have Phase 2 very soon — is just too soon."

—Good Morning America (@GMA) April 24, 2020

Sarah Al-Arshani contributed to this report.

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