'Sabotage': Mississippi mayor slams his state's GOP governor for lifting mask mandate

The mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, ripped his state's Republican governor for undoing a statewide mask mandate during a CNN interview on Wednesday.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba told CNN's Alisyn Camerota that it's too early to declare victory over the novel coronavirus even though the situation has improved significantly over the last month.

"We're making a decision to sabotage our efforts," Lumumba said. "It is against the advice of our health experts and it is premature. No one celebrates victory in the third quarter."

The mayor said that the mask mandate would remain in place in Jackson for the foreseeable future, but he said that Gov. Tate Reeves lifting the statewide mandate now unnecessarily puts "lives and businesses in jeopardy."

Lumumba also said that simply encouraging people to wear masks during the pandemic would not be effective.

"I believe without it being required and mandated, far too many Mississippians will not wear a mask," he said. "My mask protects you from me and your mask protects me from you, and so that is why we need a universal or consistent policy not only for the residents of Jackson but in the state of Mississippi."

Watch the video below.