Here’s what Joe Biden had to say about President Donald Trump’s visit to Macon
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden released a statement Friday morning criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to hold a rally in Macon during the coronavirus pandemic.
“President Trump has continued to host events that disregard public health guidance, including his own CDC, and is now taking his disregard for COVID-19 to Macon, Georgia, where numbers are spiking yet again. Due to President Trump’s failed leadership, 7,500 Georgians have lost their lives to the coronavirus and nearly 200,000 remain unemployed, all while he threatens to take away protections from 4.4 million Georgians with pre-existing conditions,” Biden said in the statement.
Michael Hokanson, the spokesperson for the North Central Health District, said in an interview with The Telegraph on Thursday that Macon-Bibb County has seen a slight increase in the amount of coronavirus cases in the past seven days although the data is preliminary and subject to data cleaning. Georgia health experts have warned about the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the rally.
Macon-Bibb County has had a total of 187 coronavirus related deaths and more than 6,000 cases in the county, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website. As of Thursday, the county had 191 cases per 100,000 people.
According to a contract between Trump’s campaign and Bibb County — which remains subject to COVID-19 restrictions from Gov. Brian Kemp and its own mask mandate — rally organizers will require masks when social distancing is not possible and provide sanitizers. In the contract, the campaign acknowledges Kemp’s executive order prohibits gatherings of 50 or more people unless the group is “transitory or incidental,” or if the group is spread across multiple locations.
The campaign is paying Bibb County $17,000 to rent a portion of the Middle Georgia Regional Airport and to staffing costs.
Georgia has had high unemployment rates throughout the pandemic reaching its peak in April with a 12.6% unemployment rate. Georgia had a 5.6% unemployment rate in August with around 272,700 people unemployed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“As President, I will build our country back better and protect and expand the Affordable Care Act. I urge all Georgians to make your voices heard in this election,” Biden said in the statement.
The Biden campaign in Georgia is hosting a “Ridin’ with Biden” car parade and press conference in downtown Macon Friday at 11:30 a.m. before Trump’s rally, according to a news release.
Local leaders, such as State Rep. Miriam Paris and Macon-Bibb Commissioner-elect Seth Clark, will start the parade with a press conference before parading through Macon and making stops at the ballot drop box locations. Vehicles will start lining up at 11 a.m.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 11:09 AM.