MAKE THAT CALL, AS STATES
GRAPPLE WITH BALANCING SAFETY
AND THEIR ECONOMIES.
AND AMID A SURGE IN CASES IN
GEORGIA, ATLANTA MAYOR KEISHA
LANCE BOTTOMS WHO TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 HERSELF
ISSUED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER
OVERNIGHT MAKING MASK-WEARING
MANDATORY IN HER CITY.
JOINING ME NOW IS ATLANTA MAYOR
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS.
MAYOR, FIRST OF ALL, WE ALL OF
COURSE WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU AND
YOUR FAMILY ARE DOING AFTER
CONTRACTING THE VIRUS.
>> THANK YOU FOR ASKING AND
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I’M HAVING NORMAL SYMPTOMS THAT
GO ALONG WITH MY SEASONAL
ALLERGIES.
MY CHILD IS ALSO ASYMPTOMATIC.
MY HUSBAND, ON THE OTHER HAND,
HAS LOST 20 POUNDS IN LESS THAN
A WEEK AND HE’S STILL SLEEPING
QUITE A BIT.
THANKFULLY HIS OXYGEN LEVELS ARE
GOOD AND HOPEFULLY HE’S ON THE
ROAD TO RECOVERY.
>> I KNOW THAT YOU SAID IT TOOK
EIGHT DAYS AFTER YOUR INITIAL
TEST RESULTS BEFORE YOU GOT THEM
BACK.
SO YOU FOR EIGHT DAYS DID NOT
KNOW WHAT YOUR TEST RESULTS WERE
AFTER YOUR HUSBAND AND THAT YOUR
CHILD WERE GOING TO TEST
POSITIVE.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THOSE KIND
OF DELAYS?
>> IT’S FRUSTRATING.
THE REALITY WAS THAT I GOT
TESTED SIMPLY BECAUSE I HAD HAD
ATTENDED A FUNERAL FOR RAYSHARD
BROOKS AND JUST DECIDED TO GET
MY FAMILY TESTED AT THE SAME
TIME, SIMPLY BECAUSE I COULD.
I DIDN’T GET THOSE RESULTS BACK
UNTIL EIGHT DAYS LATER.
BY THAT TIME, MY HUSBAND WAS
NOT -- WELL, HE WAS SLEEPING A
LOT, I CAN’T EVEN SAY IT WAS SO
MUCH HE WASN’T FEELING WELL, HE
WAS JUST SLEEPING A LOT.
WE GOT TESTED AGAIN, I GOT THOSE
RESULTS BACK THE SAME DAY.
THE NEXT DAY, I GOT THE PREVIOUS
TEST RESULTS BACK, AND SAW THAT
MY CHILD WAS ASYMPTOMATIC.
SO WE HAD AN ASYMPTOMATIC CHILD
IN THE HOUSE.
MY HUSBAND AND I AT THAT TIME
WERE NEGATIVE.
THIS IS THE STORY WE ARE HEARING
ALL ACROSS AMERICA.
CERTAINLY HAD WE GOTTEN THOSE
RESULTS BACK SOONER, WE COULD
HAVE TAKEN ADDITIONAL
PRECAUTIONS, BECAUSE MY HUSBAND
AND I WERE BOTH NEGATIVE AT THAT
TIME.
>> AND YOU HAD SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN
WITH YOUR MOTHER WHO IS OLDER,
OBVIOUSLY.
HAD YOU KNOWN WHETHER YOUR OTHER
CHILDREN HAVE ANY POSITIVE
RESULTS?
>> THANKFULLY, WE’VE ALL NOW
BEEN TESTED.
MY MOTHER IS NEGATIVE.
AND THREE OF MY OTHER CHILDREN
ARE NEGATIVE AS WELL.
AND THIS IS THE FRUSTRATING PART
ABOUT COVID, IT’S REALLY NOT A
BIG MYSTERY AS TO WHY WE CAN’T
GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS AS
A COUNTRY.
WE HAVE TO PERFECT THIS TEST.
AND DONALD TRUMP HAS TO TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR US BEING ABLE
TO GET RAPID TESTING IN THIS
COUNTRY, BECAUSE IT’S THE ONLY
WAY THAT ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE
LIKE ME WILL BE ABLE TO
QUARANTINE AND NOT INADVERTENTLY
EXPOSE OTHER PEOPLE TO THIS
VIRUS.
>> YOU ARE NOW GOING UP AGAINST
BRIAN KEMP IN THAT YOU ARE NOW
REQUIRING BY EXECUTIVE ORDER
THAT PEOPLE WEAR MASKS IN
ATLANTA, YOU’RE PROHIBITING
NONESSENTIAL GATHERINGS OF MORE
THAN TEN PEOPLE, YOU’RE GOING
WELL BEYOND WHAT THE GOVERNOR IS
REQUIRING FOR GEORGIA.
WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT, AND HOW
CAN YOU MAINTAIN THOSE MANDATES
WHEN THE GOVERNOR IS NOT DOING
IT FOR THE REST OF THE STATE?
>> THE GOVERNOR IS NOT DOING
ENOUGH FOR OUR STATE.
AND HIS LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN
IRRESPONSIBLE.
WE OPENED UP VERY QUICKLY.
WE ARE NOW SEEING THE RESULTS OF
THAT.
OUR COVID NUMBERS ARE AS HIGH AS
THEY’VE EVER BEEN.
I FOLLOWED THE LEAD OF OTHER
MAYORS ACROSS OUR STATE,
INCLUDING VAN JOHNSON IN
SAVANNAH WHO MANDATED THAT MASKS
BE WORN IN SAVANNAH.
AND SO HE DID THAT A WEEK PRIOR.
I WANTED TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT
THE GOVERNOR’S RESPONSE WOULD BE
TO THAT.
THAT MANDATE HAS NOT BEEN
CHALLENGED, AND SO ATLANTA HAS
FOLLOWED SUIT.
AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR OURSELVES
BECAUSE THERE IS A LACK OF
LEADERSHIP IN OUR STATE AND
THERE IS A LACK OF LEADERSHIP