Georgia Begins to Reopen as COVID-19 Cases Increase Statewide

On Friday morning, many Georgia businesses designated as “non-essential”, including salons, barbershops, bowling alleys and gyms, reopened for the first time since state leaders issued stay-at-home orders on April 3.

Despite widespread criticism from public health experts, mayors within the state and even President Trump, first-term Georgia governor Brian Kemp became one of the first governors to allow non-essential businesses to reopen.

The move to reopen arrives as the state’s confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise, going against the White House’s guidelines for reopening.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms publicly decried the move and urged residents to stay home, telling CNN, “Nothing has changed. People are still getting infected. People are still dying." Atlanta has the state’s highest recorded rate of contraction.

As of Thursday evening, Georgia had recorded nearly 22,000 cases of COVID-19, and at least 881 residents have died from the virus. According to a model by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Georgia should not even begin to reopen until June 22.

Florida, too, has already reopened some beaches, and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has allowed some retail businesses in the state to reopen.