Georgia Governor Set To Re-Open Businesses, Churches On This Date

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is allowing gyms, barbers, cosmetologists, and other similar businesses statewide to reopen on Friday, April 24, 2020. Even President Trump, a fellow Republican, is opposed to the date.

Watch Kemp defend himself against criticism here.

Georgia has been under a state of emergency since early April, when local governments issued lockdowns to help mitigate  the coronavirus pandemic.

Georgia Governor To Re-Open Businesses, Houses Of Worship

Kemp moved to re-open the state despite Georgia having nearly 19,000 coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, deaths attributed to Covid-19 surpassed 700+ deaths statewide, according to health officials.

Although Kemp is rolling out the orders to revive the state economy, he told reporters at a news conference it will not be “business as usual.”

“Last week, the White House issued guidelines for states to begin to safely reopen our nation’s econom,” he said. “We appreciate their leadership and share in the president’s desire to reopen the economy and get Americans back to work.”

Kemp said a key component of the gating criteria is testing. “For weeks, I have expressed my frustration with the status of testing and committed more resources to expansion. We partnered with the University System of Georgia, partnered with the private sector to offer drive-thru services, and recently empowered public health departments across Georgia to offer testing for all symptomatic individuals. Today we’re taking this effort to the next level by announcing an even broader partnership with the state’s dedicated health sciences university and its health system to double down on our testing capacity and meet the requirements necessary to move forward with the president’s plan.”

“The next point is an important one. The entities that I am reopening are not reopening for ‘business as usual.’ Each of these entities will be subject to specific restrictions, including adherence to Minimum Basic Operations, social distancing, and regular sanitation. Minimum Basic Operations includes, but is not limited to, screening workers for fever and respiratory illness, enhancing workplace sanitation, wearing masks and gloves if appropriate, separating workspaces by at least six feet, teleworking where at all possible, and implementing staggered shifts.”

Businesses, including houses of worship, are still required to adhere to social distancing, staggered shifts and strict sanitizing, he said.

When Is Georgia Re-Opening Restaurants And Theaters?

Kemp is reopening restaurants and theaters on Monday, April 27. Bars, performance venues, and clubs will remain closed.

“We will release more information in the next few days. Bars, nightclubs, operators of amusement park rides, and live performance venues will remain closed,” he said.

Kemp said the shelter in place order is still active and will expire at 11:59 PM on April 30 for most Georgians.

Medically fragile and elderly Georgians should make plans to shelter in place at least through May 13 – the date Georgia’s Public Health Emergency expires.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says her city is not ready to re-open due to the health concerns involved.

“For as much as all of us would like to get back to some semblance of normalcy, we can’t do it now. We don’t know what our rates are in Georgia,” she told MSNBC.

After Kemp’s announcement, Lance Bottoms issued a statement saying that she was gathering her advisory board to advise on next steps for Atlanta.

“Reopening the city must be executed in a cautious manner that is best suited for Atlanta,” said Mayor Bottoms. “The Advisory Council will provide the necessary input and buy-in from Atlanta stakeholders to outline a safe and thoughtful framework to get our economy back on track without endangering public health.”

Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:

Tee Johnson: Tee Johnson is the co-founder of AtlantaFi.com and as an unofficial ambassador of the city, she's a lover of all things Atlanta. She writes about Travel News, Events, Business, Hair Care (Wigs!) and Money.
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