Update: A spokesperson for Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued the following statement at 7:17 p.m. on Wednesday: “The Mayor and the Governor have disagreements on policies related to COVID-19 — this is nothing new. At no point did the Mayor place blame at the feet of any individual elected official for the tragic shooting in question.

The Mayor is consistent in her desire for uniform policies to combat COVID-19 — or at the very least, the opportunity for local control so that municipalities can tailor policies specific to their own communities.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Wednesday blamed a number of recent shootings at the city’s nightclubs on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to reopen restaurants, bars and nightclubs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a virtual press briefing with local media, Bottoms said people from other states whose leaders had shut down indoor service at their restaurants and bars because of a resurgence in COVID cases or had yet to reopen them were traveling to Atlanta to party.

“We’re open as if we are not in the midst of a pandemic,” Bottoms said. “There’s not a lot that we can do about that locally because obviously the governor has made the decision to keep the state open.”

A Kemp spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a voice message seeking comment.

As an example, Bottoms pointed to the shooting death of Chicago rapper King Von who had traveled to Atlanta to host his “Welcome to O’Block” album release party at Monaco Hookah Lounge on Trinity Avenue in downtown Atlanta.

A second man, 34-year-old Mark Blakely of Chicago, was also killed in the shootout outside the club on Nov. 6.

King Von’s album reached number five on the Billboard 200 after his death.

Last month, Illinois shutdown indoor service at its bars and restaurants, after seeing a major resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

On Tuesday, the State of Georgia saw its number of new COVID cases spike to roughly 3,500. Over the previous week, the number of daily new cases varied between about 1,000 and 2,500, according to figures from the Atlanta Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.