AMNA NAWAZ: Georgia Governor
Brian Kemp's order has put
the issue of masks front and
center in that state.
With me now is Kelly Girtz. He
is a Democrat and the mayor of
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia,
which moved to require
people to wear masks in
public earlier this month.
Mayor Girtz, welcome to
the "NewsHour," and thanks
for making the time.
I want to ask you about some
late news we have just gotten
about Governor Brian Kemp
and the state attorney general
suing the Atlanta mayor, Keisha
Bottoms, and the City Council
for their requirement for
public mask wearing. What
is your reaction to that?
KELLY GIRTZ (D), Mayor
of Athens-Clarke County,
Georgia: Amna, this
has all been so deeply
frustrating.
We simply want to create a
platform for health and safety
for the local population. I have
been in constant contact
with Mayor Bottoms and other
mayors throughout the state.
And, in lieu of action on a
statewide basis, as we have seen
in other Republican-led states
like Alabama and Arkansas,
we need to act as local boots
on the ground who are keeping
people in our communities safe.
We are going to continue with
our order in Athens-Clarke
County, as Mayor Bottoms has
also indicated she is going to
do, and Mayor Davis in Augusta
and Mayor Johnson in Savannah,
because we understand that,
as science has demonstrated
over the last many months, it
is simply safer to have a
mask on for those around you.
The droplet dispersement,
the aerosol dispersement
is diminished by use
of a mask. And so we're
going to follow this.
And I have to say...
AMNA NAWAZ: Mayor Girtz, let
me -- let me just ask you,
if I can. I apologize, sir,
I know your time is limited.
But even the head of Georgia's
Restaurant Association has
said it's confusing for people
to have different rules
in different counties.
You need one set of
guidelines. Let businesses
decide if they
should require masks.
What do you say to that?
KELLY GIRTZ: It's been
interesting, because
large and very small
retailers have said to
me, we like a mask order,
because that sets a citywide or
a countywide standard, and so
we know, from one block to
another, one vendor to another,
the public is going to have the
same experience.
We're also the flagship host for
the University of Georgia here
in the state. And just a couple
of weeks ago, the
university system indicated
that every student,
faculty member and staff
member was going to have to
wear a mask in interior spaces
at the University of Georgia
and in all other public
universities in the state.
And so what we want to do is be
able to provide the same solid
foundation on campus and off
campus here in Athens.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mayor
Girtz, let me ask you.
Both your hospitals in
Athens were full yesterday.
You had to divert patients
to other facilities.
Experts say you are not yet
at your peak. Do you have
what you need now to meet the
moment and to handle
the influx of patients?
KELLY GIRTZ: Unfortunately,
we don't have what we need.
The hospitals are very nimble,
and they're able to open up
some overflow wards interior
to their spaces. But it's taken
longer to get test kits here.
And it's taken much longer
to get test results here.
People call me every day here
in my office and say, I'm
feeling sick, I have come into
contact with somebody who's
COVID-positive, and it's going
to take me five days to even
get an appointment
to get a test.
And then I'm hearing that
it's taking somewhere
between four days and
eight days to get results
after that test. That's
antithetical to the
kind of things that
need to happen. I mean,
I sit here in front of you,
and I wonder, can I get annexed
into Germany or at least
North Carolina?
AMNA NAWAZ: Mayor Girtz,
I should mention, as
you said, students are
coming back to campus
at the University of
Georgia next month.
With all this confusion over
which rule stands on the face
masks, in a matter of seconds,
are you worried about
compliance and the virus
spiking in a few weeks?
KELLY GIRTZ: Absolutely.
Here we are in July, and we
haven't even had the student
population return. I wonder very
much, where are we going to
be in September in October
and November, when more people
are inside, and not
in outdoor spaces?
AMNA NAWAZ: That is Mayor
Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke
County in Georgia.
Thank you so much for your
time. Please stay safe.
KELLY GIRTZ: Thank you, Amna.