Today, Wednesday, July 15, Georgia’s latest round of coronavirus rules expires and Governor Kemp must choose to keep them in place or impose new restrictions to help contain one of the nation’s most serious virus epidemics. Here is what we know about how Governor Kemp made his last decision on how to respond to Covid-19.
In a mind-boggling article entitled, “States that raced to reopen let businesses write their own rules, documents show”, the Washington Post, relying on email correspondence released through a public records request, disclosed how the Chamber of Commerce and large businesses helped write the Governor’s response to Covid-19 in Georgia. Governor Kemp rolled back corona virus restrictions even as public health experts warned that relaxing the limits could result in an even greater crisis.
So how did Governor Kemp’s decision work out?
Last Friday, Georgia registered nearly 4500 new cases of covid-19, a new daily record, and roughly 80% of the state’s hospital beds were filled. As of today, Georgia has more than 115,000 cases of Covid-19 and nearly 3000 deaths. Georgia is experiencing one of the most catastrophic outbreaks of covid-19 in the United States.
This time, Governor Kemp needs to take the advice of Georgia healthcare experts and the CDC and put in place the measures, and the only measures, which have been shown effective in dramatically reducing the spread of the virus and protecting the health and lives of Georgians.
The price we are paying for Governor Kemp’s desire to please the business community at the expense of the health and safety of all Georgians is simply too great.
Bruce Menke
Athens
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