Kemp signs new COVID-19 executive orders, will tour Georgia to promote mask use
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with details of the new executive orders.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed two new COVID-19 executive orders Monday, and he will tour the state asking Georgians to mask up to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Kemp’s new orders come as portions of his coronavirus restrictions were set to expire late Tuesday night. In a statement Monday evening, Kemp said he extended the restrictions due to increasing cases and current hospitalizations across the state.
The first order extends the state’s public health emergency through 11:59 PM on Aug. 11. The emergency order gives Kemp broad powers to deal with the pandemic. It also allows for the state government and the private sector to work more closely together to address supply, testing and hospital capacity needs.
The second order extends distancing, sanitation and other related protocols businesses and various entities across the state must implement. Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned unless there is six feet between each person. Businesses and other facilities must still adhere to previously established COVID-19 requirements.
Georgians who live in long-term care facilities or suffer from certain medical conditions must still shelter in place. The state Board of Education must also craft rules and guidelines for local school boards to use when elementary and secondary schools reopen. The order runs through 11:59 PM on July 15.
Last week, Kemp told reporters he would not implement any new restrictions. Following his statements, Georgia reported the highest single-day increases in coronavirus infections to date. His office said Monday the state’s COVID-19 fatality rate (3.6%) “is the lowest it’s been since April 15 (3.68%).”
“We continue to robustly test in communities across Georgia, and preliminary data from the Department of Public Health indicates – through contact tracing interviews – that case increases seem to be connected primarily to workplace settings, houses of worship, and social gatherings,” said Kemp’s press secretary Cody Hall.
Kemp said he does not plan to mandate the use of masks in the state, but he and other Georgia health officials have previously encouraged state residents to wear one.
“There’s some people that just do not want to wear a mask. I’m sensitive to that from a political environment of having people buy into that and creating other issues out there,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But it’s definitely a good idea.”
Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, Kemp will travel to Albany, Columbus, Dalton, Augusta, Savannah, and Valdosta encouraging Georgia residents to follow advice from public health officials and wear a mask. He’s scheduled to have a 9:15 a.m. press conference at Piedmont Columbus Regional hospital on Wednesday before traveling to Albany.
Kemp and officials at the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency will begin distributing roughly three million cloth face coverings to governments and schools across the state starting this week. The state emergency agency has a conference call with school leaders Tuesday to develop plans for distributing two million of those masks, Hall said.
The emergency management agency has confirmed these counties will receive the following mask allotments:
- Fulton 178,000
- Gwinnett 165,000
- Cobb 140,000
- DeKalb 90,000
- Chatham 40,000
- Clayton 45,000
- Cherokee 35,000
- Henry 40,000
- Muscogee 30,000
- Hall 25,000
- Douglas 20,000
- Lowndes 15,000
- Newton 15,000
- Whitfield 15,000
- Bartow 18,000
- Floyd 15,000
- Glynn 12,000
- Bulloch 10,000
- Walker 10,000
- Jackson 10,000
- Colquitt 8,000
- Coffee 7,000
- Tift 7,000
- Ware 6,500
- Stephens 4,500
- Grady 4,500
- Emanuel 4,000
- Meriwether 3,500
- Worth 3,500
- Cook 3,000
- Ben Hill 3,000
- Jefferson 2,500
- Brooks 2,500
- Jeff Davis 2,500
- Screven,500
- Jenkins 1,500
- Atkinson 1,500
- Calhoun 1,500
- Stewart 1,500
As of June 29, 79,417 COVID-19 cases and 2,784 deaths have been confirmed.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Kemp signs new COVID-19 executive orders, will tour Georgia to promote mask use."