Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered Georgia to reopen non-essential businesses as soon as Friday, according to a press conference he held on Monday.
The Georgia governor said that if the businesses align with social distancing guidelines that people can expect to have access to hair salons, gyms, massage centers, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors, among many other entities. The openings will be followed by restaurants and possibly, movie theaters.
Kemp had set a deadline for the “Stay At Home” order to terminate at the end of April. Democrat Stacy Abrams expressed concerned that the move was premature and could possibly risk the health of many residents.
“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,” said Abrams.
Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms implied that they were both unaware of the governor’s decision to reopen non-essential businesses.
“I have a great working relationship with our governor, but I did not speak with him before he made this announcement,” said Bottoms. “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. 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.”
Other states, including Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina, are also lifting restrictive coronavirus orders following the announcement from President Donald Trump that the U.S. would open the economy back up by using a multi-phase rollout plan that includes tracking of cases, testing, and following COVID-19 prevention guidelines.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont agrees with opening the economy up, but feels like Kemp is opening the wrong businesses.
“I think the things that come later are the things that Georgia opened up first, which surprised me, those things that have very close personal contact,” Lamont said to CNBC. “Bars, restaurants where you’re closed in, probably even barbershops, nail salons, places where you have close personal contact, there I think we’d have to wait until we have a little more testing and more masks.”
To date, Georgia has confirmed 19,881 cases, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. More than 800 people have died from the virus in the state.
