COVID-19: Trump, Georgia Gov Disagree On Businesses’ Reopening

United States President, Donald Trump has rebuked a state governor and Republican ally, Brian Kemp, over his decision to reopen bowling alleys, hair salons and other businesses on Friday “in violation” of the phased federal guidelines.

“I want him to do what he thinks is right, but I disagree with him on what he’s doing,” the US president said of Kemp, the Governor of Georgia.

“I think spas and beauty salons and tattoo parlours and barbershops in phase one … is just too soon”, the president said.

Speaking on Wednesday at a wide ranging coronavirus task force briefing in which he announced the signing of a “very powerful” order curbing immigration, President Trump contradicted experts on how long the virus will linger and compared the crowd size at his last 4 July celebration to Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Georgia’s huge gamble is likely to be watched closely by State governors across the nation.

Trump had already released national guidelines last week for states to pursue a staggered reopening of their economies once they achieve 14 days of declining new infections – criterion that the Peach State has not met.

Kemp endured widespread ridicule when he admitted, on April Fools’ Day, that he had only just learned that people without symptoms can still spread coronavirus, even though health experts had warned about the possibility for months.

Georgia now has more more than 21,000 infections and 846 deaths, according to the state department of public health. The state has tested less than 1% of its population for Covid-19, ranking in the bottom 10 per capita and raising fears that it could suffer a resurgence and be forced into another lockdown.

On Friday, elective medical procedures will resume and barbershops, nail salons and gyms will reopen with restrictions and requirements to stagger shifts and keep workspaces six feet apart. Limited in-restaurant dining will resume next week but bars and nightclubs will remain closed.

Trump said he had spoken to Kemp, for whom he campaigned against Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2018, and made his views clear.

“They can wait a little bit longer, just a little bit, not much, because safety has to predominate. We have to have that. So I told the governor very simply that I disagree with his decision but he has to do what he thinks is right.”

Also joining the criticisms against the Georgia Governor is Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said; “If I were advising the governor, I would tell him that he should be careful.”

Fauci further said at the briefing; “I would advise him not to just turn the switch on and go, because there is a danger of a rebound.” – The Guardian