As Governor Brian Kemp announced plans Monday to implement Phase 1 of reopening the state after the COVID-19 outbreak, state officials emphasized that innovation would be critical in establishing “a new normal” — including innovations in business operations and testing
Following the briefing, several sources told InsiderAdvantage their biggest concern was testing, including the difficulty they have seen in getting commercial labs approved to run the tests.
The Governor agreed testing was something that had frustrated him, and that plans were being implemented to increase the amount of tests given in Georgia through an innovative partnership between the National Guard, the Department of Public Health and academia.
“Now, a key component of the gating criteria is testing. For weeks, I have expressed my frustration with the status of testing and committed more resources to expansion,” Kemp said. “We partnered with the University System of Georgia, partnered with the private sector to offer drive-thru services, and recently empowered public health departments across Georgia to offer testing for all symptomatic individuals. Today we’re taking this effort to the next level by announcing an even broader partnership with the state’s dedicated health sciences university and its health system to double down on our testing capacity and meet the requirements necessary to move forward with the President’s plan.”
The Georgia National Guard will mobilize 10 new strike teams to deploy to hotspots and long-term care facilities to administer 1,500 tests per day. Testing expansions through Augusta University and the Guard will complement existing initiatives.
“As I’ve said before, testing defines the battlefield and informs our long-term strategy,” Kemp said. “These efforts significantly increase our capacity as we take measured steps forward.”
Recently, reports indicated that Georgia ranked 41st per capita in testing. However, Adjutant General Tom Carden said that was a “lagging indication” and added that Georgia could be ranked as high as 28th in the next week with the new testing initiative.
Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and House Speaker David Ralston joined Kemp at the briefing.
“I have spoken with numerous CEOs of large corporations and with small business owners across the state, and no business or industry will come out of this exactly the same,” said Lt. Gov. Duncan. “They must now rely on innovation.”
“Innovation is critical in all aspects of this next phase,” said Gov. Kemp. “I believe our residents are ready for this, I believe our businesses are ready. But keep in mind the private sector will have to find ways to convince the public that it’s safe to come back in their business.”
As part of the first phase of the transition, Kemp’s order will allow gyms, bowling alleys, salons barber shops and some other indoor facilities to resume operations if they comply with social distancing requirements and meet other safety standards. Other businesses including restaurants, social clubs and theaters will be allowed to open Monday April, 27. Bars and nightclubs will stay closed for now.
“This is a small step forward, and it should be treated as that,” said Kemp. “We will continue to monitor the situation.”
According to Kemp, the current Shelter-In-Place order will expire on April 30 for most people. However, he is asking the elderly and medically fragile to remain sheltered in place until May 13 when the State of Emergency order expires.
House Speaker David Ralston agreed that Georgia is making the right decision with the implementation of Phase 1, and that the state will have to use innovation to develop a new normal.
“We will never get back to what we knew as normal,” said Ralston. “But I am certain we will find a new and better normal.”
According to Dr. Kathleen Toomey, head of the Department of Public Health, the state will also be implementing contact tracing — which will allow health officials to trace someone testing positive for COVID-19 to determine who they have been in contact with and where they have been.
“This will become our priority focus in the next few weeks,” Toomey said. “And it’s how we will stop the virus.”
Kemp warned that as the public begins “to move about more,” we may see the number of cases go up for a short time. “But we have the bed capacity to handle it, we have ramped up testing and we have a better understanding of mitigation and social distancing.”
When asked about the political ramifications of this decision, Kemp said, “Right now, I don’t give a damn about politics. We are talking about people who have put their whole life into a business. We have to talk about the effects of the economy, the physical health, the mental health and the struggles people are having to put food on their table.”
Kemp said school buildings will remain closed the rest of this school year. He is allowing churches to open for in-person services but is asking clergy across the state to “heed the advice of healthcare experts and follow all the guidelines and recommendations.” He also recommended they continue to offer on-line and drive-in services as an option.
According to Kemp, this order will “apply statewide and will be the operational standard in all jurisdictions. This means local action cannot be taken that is more or less restrictive.”
