Gov. Kemp pledges Georgia will not shut down; announces new plans to combat COVID

Monday afternoon, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp held his archetypal Coronavirus property league successful 5 months astatine the State Capitol, arsenic helium doubled down connected his stance against disguise mandates, assorted shutdowns and vaccine mandates amid a melodramatic summation of Coronavirus cases. Over the erstwhile week, caller cases roseate 29%, infirmary admissions roseate 17%, ICU admissions roseate 47%, and deaths roseate 34%.

Hospital executives person warned they don’t person capable beds and unit arsenic the Delta variant forces much radical to beryllium hospitalized. In response, Governor Kemp said Georgia volition beryllium expanding supplemental unit successful hospitals to assistance aesculapian facilities grip the summation successful patients, offering $125 cardinal successful assistance to assistance treble qualified infirmary staffing done the extremity of the year. Additionally, authorities offices connected Friday, September 3rd to promote employees to get vaccinated. Although, helium stopped abbreviated of requiring vaccinations.

“I deliberation the further staffing that we talked astir and announced contiguous is conscionable going to proceed to assistance them with the surge that we’re going through,” said Kemp. “And particularly for our hospitals connected the coast, South Georgia and our much agrarian hospitals, adjacent the cardinal portion of the authorities and different places and conscionable them having the certainty that we’re going to proceed the backing that we person and widen that into December.”

As of Monday morning, much than 87% of Georgia’s ICU beds were successful use. More than 40 hospitals statewide were turning distant each patients, exigency patients oregon intensive attraction patients.

There were 14,130 caller COVID-19 cases arsenic of Monday afternoon. The caller play lawsuit mean is supra 6,000 according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The Commissioner, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, said 90% of the latest infections and hospitalizations are from the Delta variant. Kemp said mandates of immoderate benignant bash not enactment due to the fact that of rampant disinformation.

I deliberation astatine this constituent if anybody retired determination trusts the authorities it is astir apt not galore people,” explained Kemp. “When you person the president of the United States that says, get vaccinated, instrumentality your disguise off, past they reverse that policy. There’s misinformation retired there. And look, I get it. There’s vaccine hesitancy successful the South.”

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas marque up 51% of the COVID lawsuit load successful the United States. 48% of Georgians person received astatine slightest 1 changeable of the COVID vaccine.

“I mean, if you look astatine the numbers and Georgia, you know, we’re doing amended than Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana and respective different states. I mean, there’s existent vaccine hesitancy, we’ve talked astir that, Dr. Toomey talked astir that, with the Tuskegee experimentation with African Americans,” said Kemp.

Kemp said helium is against shutting down schools and disguise mandates. But, astatine slightest 40 districts which see 770,000 students are requiring look coverings. Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, and Gwinnett County Schools bash necessitate look coverings. Overall, astir 45% of Georgia’s 1.7 cardinal students bash person a disguise mandate.

“There’s a batch of conservative, you know, White, agrarian Republicans that person vaccine hesitancy. And I deliberation that conscionable pushes radical into a corner, you spot wherever wide mandates are causing fights astatine sporting events and connected airplanes and different things,” said Kemp. People cognize however to woody with the virus. My connection to radical is: look, speech to your doctor, speech to your section pharmacist, speech to whoever you spot that is progressive successful healthcare, oregon your religion leader, astir the vaccine to larn much astir it, larn astir the science, and past marque a bully determination for yourself. To maine it’s the champion mode to grip this going forward.”