Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says she has tested postive for COVID-19, although she is asymptomatic.
In a tweet Monday, the mayor said "COVID-19 has literally hit home."
COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 6, 2020
"It really speaks to how contagious this virus is," Bottoms said on MSNBC shortly after announcing her test results. "We've taken all of the precautions that you can possibly take: we wear masks, we're very thoughtful about washing our hands, I have no idea of when and where we were exposed."
Bottoms, who has been regularly getting tested, said her husband also has the coronavirus.
"This is startling for me, because we've been so careful, but certainly we are not immune and this is a lesson to everyone," she said.
As of Monday, Georgia has more than 97,000 reported cases of coronavirus, including 2,878 deaths. More than 958,000 viral tests and 170,000 antibody tests have been performed in the state.
Georgia's case rate has increased steadily in recent weeks, causing Gov. Brian Kemp to implore - but not require - Georgians to wear a mask in public.
Kathleen Toomey, the state’s public health commissioner, said last week she was concerned about the uptick in cases across Georgia and that stemming the tide of new infections would involve all residents acting responsibly.
“Wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands,” she said. “Not only to protect ourselves, our family, our community, but … you have to do it to ensure that we can do all those activities that we want to do in the fall, like go to college football, go to our basketball games and do the things that we want to do in a crowd. We can't do that now.”
Also Monday, Kemp launched a "Safety Promise" campaign to remind businesses and the public the importance of following social distancing, mask-wearing and other health and safety protocols to avoid spreading COVID-19.
Copyright 2020 Georgia Public Broadcasting
