Atlanta mayor tells people to stay home, even though some businesses are already open 

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tweeted out the city’s coronavirus statistics and a message to share them with non-essential workers in an effort to keep residents at home, despite the governor’s decision to reopen the state    

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, had announced that business including gyms, barbershops, hair and nail salons and massage parlors could reopen throughout the state beginning Friday.  

As part of her effort to encourage Atlanta residents to continue to stay at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Bottoms tweeted Saturday: ‘If you’re getting your nails done right now, please share these noon numbers with your manicurist.’

Bottoms posted this tweet Saturday, along with the latest coronavirus figures in the state 

She then added the hashtag ‘#StayHomeGeorgia’ and a graphic showing the latest Georgia, US and global coronavirus infection and death statistics. 

In a 24 hour period, Georgia’s coronavirus case number increased from 22,147 to 22,695. The number of deaths increased from 892 to 904. 

One week ago, there were only 17,669 coronavirus cases and 673 deaths in Georgia.   

Bottoms’ tweet followed her Friday comments that she suspected that Atlanta residents would take the opportunity to escape isolation for the first time in just under three weeks, since Kemp’s stay-at-home order went into effect.      

‘They will go into hair salons and go and get manicures and pedicures as if it is business as usual, and then in a couple of weeks, we will see our numbers continue to rise in this state,’ Bottoms predicted in a CNN interview. 

Nail salons, massage parlors and barbershops were among the business allowed to open. A nail technician is pictured in the middle of a manicure in Atlanta on Friday 

An Atlanta barber is shown Friday wearing a mask, cutting the hair of a man who has opted not to wear a mask, despite an increase in coronavirus cases in the city and state

Bottoms (left) said that Kemp (right) has not explained to her what he based his re-opening decision on, whether it involved scientist or expert advice

And, during a Good Morning America interview, Bottoms said, ‘Stay home. Listen to the scientists’ and added that ‘There is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley or getting a manicure in the middle of a pandemic.’

She noted that Kemp had not told her what he was basing his decision to reopen the state’s economy on – whether he had taken into account advice from scientists or experts.   

‘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.’

Bottoms also said, ‘There are some who are willing to sacrifice lives for the sake of the economy, and that is unacceptable to me.’ 

Also included in Kemp’s list of non-essential businesses allowed to reopen in coming days are bowling alleys, body art studios, theaters and restaurants. 

Bars and nightclubs would continue to stay closed, however.