Coronavirus Updates: Kemp Not Planning Rollback Of Reopening As Virus Spreads
Gov. Brian Kemp waits to speak during a news conference at the Georgia state Capitol in April.
Brynn Anderson / Associated Press
Even as growing outbreaks in other southern states have led leaders there to stop or rollback reopening plans, Governor Brian Kemp says he’s not considering imposing new restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Georgia.
“We’ve asked our citizens to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. It’s a virus. It’s going to spread,” he said. “We’re not going to stop it from happening.”
And spread it has.
Georgia was one of the first states in the country to begin lifting shelter-in-place restrictions in late April. Since then, both new coronavirus infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations have been climbing steadily.
New cases have surpassed numbers seen earlier this year, and some regions of the state only have a few hospital beds left to care for the sickest patients.
Still, Kemp said not to expect any new measures to stop the spread of the virus, including a mandate that people wear face masks while in public.
Kemp called such a requirement, which a growing body of research says could have real public health benefits, “a bridge too far.”
“I’m in the mindset of letting individuals and businesses make those decisions, as long as we can continue to hold our own,” he said “But as I’ve always said, we’ll continue to keep all options on the table.”
This comes as the Georgia Department of Health confirmed nearly 73,000 cases of COVID-19 in the state Friday, and 2,770 deaths.
Severe Illness Risk For Pregnant Women
A new report finds pregnant women are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Emory University OBGYN Denise Jamieson says women living in areas with high rates of infection need to take action.
“With the combination of cases going up in some places and this new information that pregnant women are at higher risk, I think now is the great time for pregnant women to focus on staying safe,” she said.
That includes avoiding crowds, keeping clean surfaces and washing hands frequently. But, she says, people also need to keep in mind that the death rate for pregnant women is low and babies who have been infected with COVID-19 have done well.
CDC: More People At Risk
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says more Americans are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 than previously thought.
The agency announced Thursday an expanded list of underlying health conditions that could make people sicker if they catch the coronavirus.
The CDC says conditions including obesity, pregnancy, and type-2 diabetes can make people more susceptible to serious illness from COVID-19. And that risk rises the older you get.
Agency head Doctor Robert Redfield says at-risk groups should take precautions.
When you must go out into the community, contact with few people is better than many, shorter periods are better than longer, and contact at greater distance–ideally at least six feet–are better than closer.
The advice comes in advance of the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend, and as dozens of states have seen a steady increase in new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
Unemployment: More Claims In 14 Weeks Than Past 7 Years Combined
More people have filed for unemployment in Georgia over the past 14 weeks, than in the last seven years combined, according to the latest data from the State Department of Labor.
More than 125,000 Georgians filed first-time unemployment claims last week. That number is down by about 6,000 over the previous week.
Officials say as Georgia opens up, they expect first-time claim numbers to continue their decline.
Georgia’s statewide unemployment rate for May was 9.7%. It was higher for metro Atlanta’s 10.6% jobless rate in May.
Top Stories
