Republican governors are overwhelmingly opposed to mask mandates implemented by the government, including Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA). Kemp blasted the "mixed messages" from the White House on masking and argued that mandates are ineffective.
"These mandates don't work. It makes it worse when governments are not consistent. I've been consistent for 15 months. We got mixed messages coming out of the White House, the CDC, and other places, the National Institute of Health," Kemp said on Fox and Friends on Wednesday morning. "And that's why people don't trust the government anymore when it comes to COVID guidance, and mandates don't work. We need to trust people to do the right thing at the local level."
Since the start of the pandemic, my message has been clear: mandates don’t work. pic.twitter.com/eRc52nxJMR
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) August 4, 2021
Given the rising crime rate in Atlanta, similar to most cities run by Democrats, Kemp argued that Atlanta police officers should not be burdened with enforcing an arbitrary mask mandate. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) recently reinstated the city's mask mandate for indoor activities.
Atlanta police don’t have time to be enforcing an unnecessary mask mandate. We trust people to do the right thing, talk to their doctor, and get vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/dqHAjMD4PB
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) August 4, 2021
The CDC recently walked back previous guidance for vaccinated individuals, recommending that those who are vaccinated still need to mask up while indoors. The Biden administration also left the door open to more lockdowns as the Delta variant spreads.