EAST POINT, Ga. — The mayor of East Point says she disagrees with Gov. Brian Kemp's order to reopen Georgia, and she will ensure the safety of her constituents before reopening the city.
Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham said in a statement to 11Alive that she was "disappointed" by the governor's order.
"I think me and the governor have a different personal constitution," the mayor said in the statement. "I fundamentally believe we must put people over politics and people over profits."
She went on to say that Gov. Kemp and President Trump "have made it clear that the economy is more important than saving the [lives] of Georgians/Americans."
East Point, following the City of Atlanta and along with other south Fulton cities, established a curfew before the statewide "stay-at-home" order. That curfew was lifted by the governor's April 3 order.
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The mayor noted in her statement that the state had not met the guidelines of declining cases of COVID-19 for 14 days.
"We will continue to follow the advice of medical experts for our COVID-19 response and safe reopening of our city," Mayor Holiday Ingraham said.
She says East Point will explore all options to reopen the city in a safe and healthy way.
The governor's reopening order goes into effect Friday, opening salons, barbers and theaters that practice safe cleaning and social distancing.
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