Coronavirus lockdowns pit Republican governors against Democratic mayors
emocratic mayors in the state have condemned the governor’s orders. Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke County, Ga., told CNN Tuesday that he was urging his constituents not to follow the governor’s advice for reopening.
“I’m exhorting everybody in this community to continue to shelter in place. Do not reopen at this point. It’s not the time to do it,” Girtz said. “It’s like telling the quarterback, ‘We don’t have a helmet for you, we don’t have pads, but get out there on the field and just try not to get sacked.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson noted on CNN Monday that the city had yet to see a 14-day decline as the virus continues to infect and kill residents throughout the state.
“I’m beyond disturbed,” he said. “In my mind, this is reckless, it’s premature and it’s dangerous. It’s not based in any type of science of best practices.”
Other Republican governors in states like Texas and Florida are beginning to issue reopening plans, setting off similar alarms among local Democrats, who worry the moves may be too ambitious.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor held a joint virtual news conference on Monday to call on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to listen to the science and to be aware of how the virus is affecting different regions across the state. Kriseman said he would rather the state take more time before reopening because in the long-term, Florida will be “better off.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/21/coronavirus-pits-republican-governors-democratic-mayors-198858
