“I’m perplexed that we have opened up in this way. And again, I can’t stress enough, I work very well with our governor, and I look forward to having a better understanding of what his reasoning is,” Bottoms added. “But as I look at the data and as I talk with our public health officials, I don’t see that it’s based on anything that’s logical.”

The mayor’s remarks came after Kemp said earlier Monday that certain businesses in Georgia shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic — including bowling alleys, gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors — could reopen as early as Friday if owners adhere to stringent social-distancing and hygiene requirements. Next Monday, movie theaters may also reopen and restaurants will be allowed to return to limited dine-in service.

Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, Mayor Kelly Girtz said Tuesday those “high-contact environments” are “exactly the kind of places that we need to have maintain closure for the moment,” and told CNN he was urging his constituents not to follow the governor’s advice for reopening.

“I’m exhorting everybody in this community to continue to shelter in place. Do not reopen at this point. It’s not the time to do it,” Girtz said. “It’s like telling the quarterback, ‘We don’t have a helmet for you, we don’t have pads, but get out there on the field and just try not to get sacked.’”

Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee, expressed similar frustration toward Kemp, charging Tuesday that he “didn’t consult with mayors” before settling on a schedule for reopening the state.

“The worry is that by trying to push a false opening of the economy, we risk putting more lives in danger, and there’s nothing about this that makes sense,” Abrams told MSNBC.

Kemp also came under fire from one of his fellow governors, Connecticut’s Ned Lamont, who argued that his Georgia counterpart was “potentially throwing some gas on the flames” of the state’s coronavirus outbreak.

“I think I’m glad I’m not an immediate neighbor of Georgia,” Lamont told MSNBC, going on to criticize the types of establishments Kemp was prioritizing reopening.

“When it comes to essential businesses, massage and tattoo parlors are not going to be at the top of our list,” he said. “And how do you have a massage and keep your social distance? That’s not the way we do it here.”