Governor extends shelter-in-place through April 30 amid coronavirus
disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that has sparked a global pandemic. The virus had killed 362 Georgians.
Georgia is hustling to pump more supplies and bed space into local hospitals ahead of April 23, when models predict the state’s hospitals will see their highest surge of patients infected with coronavirus.
State officials are still tapping into the national stockpile of masks, gloves and ventilators while also buying shipments from private vendors, said Homer Bryson, director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
Hospital leaders are combing their properties for unused space to set up more critical-care beds, Kemp said. On Thursday, April 9, health officials will start working with the private company Ipsum Diagnostics to boost the speed and number of coronavirus tests at Georgia’s public health labs.
Kemp said Wednesday, April 8, he is authorizing 1,000 Georgia National Guard members to deploy in Georgia “to assist with the COVID-19 response.”
More than 100 National Guard members have been on duty since last week, March 29 through April 4, to boost disease-control measures in elderly care facilities, where the virus has already caused dozens of outbreaks among the state’s most vulnerable population.
Kemp said Wednesday, April 8, he is also ordering new mandatory rules for elderly care facilities governing visitation, sanitation procedures, health screenings for employees and residents, wearing protective gear and isolating residents with symptoms.
Kemp announced earlier Wednesday, April 8, an extension of the emergency status through May 1.
Meanwhile, new restrictions on church services could be on the way later this week, Kemp hinted. While most congregations have moved services online, Kemp noted local authorities have needed to disperse some church services since the shelter-in-place order took effect last week.
“I hope I don’t have to be in a position where I have to do that,” Kemp said Wednesday, April 8, referring to potentially ordering mandatory closures for in-person church services.
The governor is also poised to order a shutdown of vacation and short-term property rentals involving stays of 30 days or less, starting midnight Wednesday, April 8, and lasting through April 30. The order will not include hotels or camping grounds and exempts short-term rentals that have already been purchased and booked before midday on April 9, Kemp said.
That move came in response to concerns over beaches remaining open under the statewide shelter-in-place order, Kemp acknowledged . The governor pledged he would close beaches if attendance grows too high, but he said that has not happened so far.
“We know exactly how many people are on the beaches at all times of the day,” Kemp said.