As COVID-19 cases rise, pressure mounts on Kemp to order statewide shelter-in-place

Editor’s note: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has now issued a statewide shelter-in-place order.

Gov. Brian Kemp has taken several steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

He closed all public schools until April 24, ordered “medically fragile individuals” to shelter in place, and banned gatherings of more than 10 people unless they’re able to maintain 6 feet of separation at all times.

But the governor has yet to require all Georgians to stay at home.

In the days following his partial shelter-in-place order, Kemp has defended his decision to members of the media and public, saying he has to weigh the spread of the virus against the economic impact that comes with a full shutdown.

Kemp, instead, has left those decisions to local officials and advised residents to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to flatten the curve.

But he has not ruled out a restrictive order, calling it “an arrow left in the quiver.”

That leaves shelter-in-place declarations in the hands of mayors and county commissioners. In Georgia, metro areas like Atlanta and Savannah have enacted full shutdowns, with limited exceptions for “essential” workers like healthcare providers, first responders and grocery store employees.

Other local governments, like Macon-Bibb County, have passed emergency declarations restricting how businesses can operate, closing park bathroom facilities ,and shutting off recreational access to lakes and rivers.

Some counties have no restrictions in place at all.

The result is a patchwork of shifting rules and restrictions that has frustrated community leaders across the state.

Elected officials call for statewide order

Albany is at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in southwest Georgia.

Despite fewer than 90,000 residents, Dougherty County has the second-highest number of new coronavirus cases in the state, trailing only the Atlanta metro area.

The rapid influx of patients has overwhelmed the local heathcare system, according to Albany Mayor Bo Dorough. Patients have been sent to hospitals across the state, including those in Bibb County, and 44 members of the Georgia National Guard were deployed to back up Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital personnel.

Dorough said while Albany has a shelter-in-place order, surrounding counties do not. He said a statewide order from Kemp would reduce the speed at which COVID-19 is spreading.

“Movement is fluid, and we have people coming into Albany from surrounding counties every day,” he said. “The statewide shelter in place ordinance would reduce the infection rates throughout southwest Georgia and, therefore, provide some relief to the staff at Phoebe Putney.”

In counties within a 40-mile radius of Albany, Dorough said people are acting as if life hasn’t changed. But he said those communities should view Albany as an example of why they should be proactive and issue a shelter-in-place order.

“I see pictures of people at Lake Blackshear this weekend, and it was almost like it was Memorial Day weekend. Somebody in that group is infected almost certainly,” he said. “Other communities in the state... have the benefit that we did not have and that is that they have the time and the opportunity to prepare for the spread of the virus.”

Fulton County has more COVID-19 cases than any other of Georgia’s 159 counties. District 1 Commissioner Liz Hausmann said she’s pushing for a shelter-in-place order for all 15 cities in Fulton, but a statewide order is the best decision.

“This situation is unlike anything I have ever dealt with and most of the community leaders and elected officials have never dealt with either. I know the governor is in the same situation,” Hausmann said. “The entire state needs to take it seriously… put that action in place before it really does reach every part of the state.

“I know it is a difficult place for the governor to be in. It is a difficult place for us to be in just at the county level, so I am sensitive to that. But I think we are at the point where it is necessary.”

Dorough and Hausmann aren’t alone: After a meeting of about 50 Georgia mayors, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul posted on Facebook that he and other mayors are signing a letter to send to Kemp to request a more aggressive approach. Paul told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the consensus from the meeting was that Georgia needs a statewide stay-at-home order.

How effective would a shelter-in-place order be?

Emory University infectious disease expert Dr. Carlos del Rio told reporters in a video call on Monday that the impact of shelter-in-place orders can be estimated using Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) models.

He said that Georgia isn’t currently predicted to run out of hospital beds, but will most likely run out of ICU beds as needs soar near the end of April. Del Rio emphasized that the predictions are estimates that change everyday as new information is added.

Although del Rio said he was disappointed the governor has not ordered all Georgians to stay home, he was glad of the policies he did put in place, such as sheltering at home for vulnerable populations and limiting gatherings to have no more than 10 people.

The strategies to combat the virus are different in different areas, he said. For example, Atlanta’s policies are going to be different than a rural city’s policies because Atlanta has a much larger population, he said.

“A lot of the decision making has to be local,” del Rio said. “I applaud the mayor for ordering a shelter at home last Monday here for the city of Atlanta, but if the surrounding cities and counties don’t do the same, it really doesn’t benefit, so a lot of the surrounding cities and counties are starting to do that.”

Ledger-Enquirer reporter Nick Wooten contributed to this story.

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 6:00 AM.