Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Reveals That She’s Tested Positive For COVID-19

Atlanta, Georgia Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Monday that she has tested positive for COVID-19. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Bottoms explains that she thinks Georgia had reopened after shutdown too soon and that, “people are paying with their lives.” Bottoms has been considered for vice president by Joe Biden.

Bottoms tweeted on Monday, “COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.” She revealed on the show that she had suffered from a “slight headache,” but had often gotten those during her allergy season and thought nothing of it. She went on to say that she was worried about her husband. She stated, “My husband literally slept from Thursday until yesterday, that’s what gave me some concern. I just have never seen him sleep that much, but he’s feeling better.”

Bottoms told the show’s host George Stephanopoulos, “I think we were too aggressive in opening up… numbers are surging. It was too aggressive, it was too soon and we’re paying for it, not just in Georgia but we’re paying for it across the country and people are paying with their lives.” Georgia had opened up in April. 

When asked by Stephanopoulos if Bottoms felt prepared to act as mayor to a major city and deal with COVID-19, Bottoms answered, “I am and, prayerfully, my symptoms won’t get any worse. What they told me is I have a low positive test, so it either means I’m on the way up or the way down. I don’t know which one, but they’ve told me to treat it as if I’m positive just in terms of quarantining and the things that are recommended that people do.”

Bottoms revealed that Georgia had seen 1,548 new virus cases Monday and 18 deaths. This adds to the state’s total of 97,064 cases and 2,878 deaths.