Georgia Govina Brian Kemp defends his administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in harsh remarks Wednesday after a report by the White House coronavirus task force said Georgia last week led the nation in new cases per capita.
The White House report, dated Aug. 16, recommends several steps to curb the virus Kemp refused to take, including closing bars and issuing mask mandates in counties with 50 or more active cases.
Kemp was among the first drivers to make earlier restrictions this spring, and although infections subsided weeks later, they began to rise in June and ended in late July.
First reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the report says “Georgia’s small gains are fragile and statewide progress will require continuous, expanded and stronger mitigation efforts, including in all open schools.”
Kemp insists Wednesday that other markers he sees paint a different picture.
“Currently, our hospitalizations are down 18.8% since our peak on July 30th. That is the lowest level since July 13th. “Our seven-day average of new reports has fallen 26% since our peak on July 24, and they are the lowest since July 8,” Kemp said.
“If we’re the highest … at the moment, that’s because Texas and Florida and Arizona and some of the other states that peaked a week or two ago are on the downclimb, just like we are. , “said the Republican governor. “But that’s not the only number Georgians should see.”
The White House coronavirus task force report says that last week Georgia had 216 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 112 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
State health officials say more than 243,000 people in Georgia have contracted the virus and at least 4,849 people have died from COVID-19.
The White House report comes as Georgia has become a lightning rod in recent weeks in a nationwide debate over when and how schools should reopen amid the pandemic.
One of the state’s largest school districts – Cherokee County – has temporarily closed three large high schools after the virus led to the quarantine of more than 2,000 students in the neighborhood.
Asked about the recent closure of Cherokee County high schools, Kemp said the spread of the virus’ for the most part did not happen in schools. It happened because people came back to school and they already had the coronavirus. ”
‘Is that the government’s fault? Is that the school’s fault? No, it is not, ”said Kemp.
Meanwhile, a school system in northern Georgia says its latest update on the coronavirus was denied to a local newspaper, now says 85 of its students are being quarantined after 10 students and nine staff tested positive for the virus.
The superintendent of the Lumpkin County School System had refused to release the coronavirus numbers in time for them to be included in the Dahlonega Nugget’s weekly edition amid a dispute with the paper over its coverage, reported the newspaper.
In an email Monday to members of school board and the newspaper, Supt. Rob Brown accused the paper of spreading fear in the community.
“The last time we shared data directly with The Nugget, the data was used for an online article with a headline that created unnecessary fear and panic,” Brown wrote in the email, referring to an Aug. 7 report. story with the headline, “Number of lumpkin teachers test positive for COVID-19 when first day arrives.”
In an earlier email, Brown presented his own headlines to the newspaper.
“A header such as ‘LC schools closely monitor COVID data’ or ‘Less than 5% of the 540 LC workers affected by COVID’ could have shared the same information without causing unusual fear and anxiety,” wrote Brown.
The school system, which began its school year on August 10, serves about 3,830 students in the province about 60 miles north of Atlanta.
It is in the same province where hundreds of young people recently gathered for a party at the Dahlonega campus of North Georgia. Video of the party made national news and caused alarm in Georgia.
