Georgia Lacks in COVID-19 Response
On Monday, April 20th, Governor Brian Kemp announced his decision to reopen the state of Georgia for business. All non-essential businesses, including tattoo parlors, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and hair salons will be allowed to reopen on Friday, April 25th, and resume normal business as long as social distancing protocols are followed. Kemp's decision to reopen the state on Friday, April 25th, is a reckless, premature, and dangerous judgment made by the governor.
Governor Kemp failed to acknowledge that by reopening the state too quickly it could cause another spike in cases. Experts, such as epidemiologists, say that without having widespread access to testing for the virus in the state, citizens would be in continuous danger as testing facilities are necessary for safe reopening.
The United States has nearly a million cases and over 50,000 deaths in the entire nation, making the country have the most reported cases in the world. Georgia’s numbers are continuing to rise, and among the 22,000 Georgia residents infected, over 850 people have died. Compared to countries like Portugal, which has almost the exact reported numbers as the entire state and is also relatively the same population size as Georgia, Portugal has wisely extended its lockdown.
According to the LA Times, in California, which has been taking precautionary and appropriate measures, Governor Gavin Newsom said that before decisions of reopening can be made, the number of hospitalizations will need to be on the decline for several weeks. Governor Kemp should have meticulously deliberated these kinds of protocols with his political counterparts and the Corona Virus Taskforce in order to ensure public safety and practice effective public health.
The Governor's decision was not based on hospital statistics and Georgia Statistics; instead, he did not discuss or convene with the Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Bottoms, whether or not to reopen the state. Moreover, many members of Kemp’s Coronavirus task force were not informed or aware of Kemp’s decision to reopen the state. Political leaders are too focused on restoring the economy as they believe that extending the lockdown would endanger and harm the economy, pointing the nation into recession, rather than focusing on the safety and health of residents.
Instead, this choice will set the state further back and elongate the infection period instead of containing it, which may lead to higher infection rates and consequently oversaturated hospitals. Instead of lifting the Shelter in Place Order, the Governor should have imposed or suggested more personal protective equipment to the public to ensure their safety, or provided more funding to testing and public health infrastructure.
More testing centers and equipment for testing needs to be available in order for the state to contain the issue and accurately assess if cases are actually increasing or decreasing. Without knowing who is infected, Americans are at risk of contracting the virus in public places without realizing, considering some people can be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Additionally, prolonging the lockdown would have ensured that people in their workplaces would be more protected. As many new cases of the virus are showing up in companies and workplaces, businesses are being forced to shut down in order to contain and disinfect highly touched surfaces before allowing any employees back into the workplace.
As many medical professionals are saying that there are countless ways the virus can spread, and not much information is known about COVID-19, experts are warning people to remain indoors until more information is known. These business establishments that Kemp is allowing reopen are leisurely and non-essential. Why risk the chances of being exposed to the virus at work, or in highly interactive public areas such as bowling alleys, movie theaters, or gyms, when people can remain safe away from individuals who may be carrying the virus without knowing?
The Asian American Advocacy Fund urges all residents to stay home and maintain social distancing standards regardless of the Governor’s decision. Ultimately, the decision to stay home is completely and solely everyone’s own personal decision; however, public health and containing this virus is contingent on practicing social distancing.