Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Georgia has reported 19,398 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 774 deaths.

Despite those numbers, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) put the state on an aggressive course toward reopening, saying that he was prioritizing his residents’ need to put food on the table for their kids. But health experts have been vocal about the dangers of lifting stay-at-home orders too quickly as states that do so will likely be overwhelmed with a second surge of cases.

Stacey Abrams, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, said Gov. Kemp’s decision to reopen some businesses by Friday, April 24 amid the coronavirus pandemic could put lives in danger. Abrams said the decision will force Georgia residents to head back to work without having been tested for coronavirus and without access to adequate healthcare.

Kemp announced on Monday, April 20 that some businesses, including gyms, hair and nail salons, and bowling alleys, will be allowed to open with some precautions in place. Kemp said theaters, private social clubs and restaurants will be allowed to reopen April 27, with the same requirements in place. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed.

Kemp said “favorable data, enhanced testing and approval of our health care professionals” motivated him to reopen some businesses in the next week. Georgia is on track to meet Phase 1 criteria as recommended by the White House’s coronavirus task force, according to the governor. Kemp cited Department of Public Health reports that emergency room visits of people with flu-like symptoms are declining and that documented COVID-19 cases have flattened.

But according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia and number of deaths attributed to the virus there, have been steadily increasing in the last month.

“I’m exhorting everybody in this community to continue to shelter in place,” Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, Mayor Kelly Girtz told CNN, pointing toward the federal guidelines. “Do not reopen at this point. It’s not the time to do it.

“It’s like telling your quarterback, ‘We don’t have a helmet for you, we don’t have pads, but get out there on the field and just try not to get sacked,'” said Girtz.

Tennessee and South Carolina announced similar steps to relax social distancing guidelines following Kemp’s announcement. Local governments can’t countermand the decision — but some mayors are asking their residents to stay home.

Gov. Bill Lee announced that Tennessee will begin a “phased reopening” next week, after citing the state’s 17 consecutive days of “only single-digit increases in the number of cases.” The vast majority of businesses in 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties will be allowed to re-open May 1, with some slated to reopen April 27.

In South Carolina, GOP Gov. Henry McMaster allowed some businesses — such as book stores, flower shops and flea markets — to reopen Monday afternoon, even as the state’s leading epidemiologist announced the state had not seen a two-week downward trajectory. The state has reported 4,439 infections and 124 deaths.

Deaths in the US nearly doubled in the past week as more governors rolled out plans to reopen their economies while other state leaders warned their case numbers are still on the rise.

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