Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday the state will work to educate the Hispanic community about the risks of the coronavirus, starting in Hall County, which has become the state’s latest hotspot for the virus.
Kemp said he and state insurance commissioner John King are working with the Mexican consulate in Atlanta and officials with the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to provide information that will help protect members of that community
“Over the past few weeks, as other areas of our state have seen reduced transmission of the virus, the Gainesville area has experienced an increase in cases, and our hospital partners in the area have seen an increase in the number of hospitalizations,” Kemp said.
Kemp’s comments came during his weekly media briefing about the state’s efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
Kemp said the insurance commissioner was in Hall County talking to poultry industry executives on Monday to ensure their workers understand public health guidance on how to protect themselves from COVID-19 and what the state is doing to help stop the spread.
Officials with Northeast Georgia Health System said last week that cases of the coronavirus may not peak until early June. The health system also said it may reach its staff capacity by May 4, although discussions are underway with the governor’s office and the Department of Public Health to bring in additional health care workers to assist.
About half of the COVID-19 hospitalizations at its four hospitals are from the Hispanic community, officials said.
Despite Kemp’s moves to reopen parts of the state’s economy, hospital leaders instead urged people to continue to stay at home unless necessary and to follow the protocols set up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Also at his briefing, Kemp downplayed the riff between him and President Trump. The president twice last week criticized the governor for opening spas, salons, barber shops and tattoo parlors last week and allowing restaurants to reopen for dine-in eating. Kemp said the downward trend in cases and hospitalizations justified the decision.
The governor said the talked to both the president and Vice President Mike Pence earlier Monday.
“Rest assured, the president and I share a common goal: That is to protect both the livelihoods of Georgians as well as the American people,” Kemp said. “We are grateful for the resources they’re providing as we work to keep Georgians safe.”
The state’s shelter-in-place order is set to expire Thursday, and the governor did not say whether he would extend it. But he did continue to encourage the “medically fragile” to shelter in place until May 13, the day the statewide public health state of emergency ends.
“We are fighting with everything in our power to keep the medically fragile and the elderly out of harms’ way,” said Kemp.
Teams of National Guard members have visited nearly 800 long-term care facilities and nursing home to help with a thorough cleaning and sanitization.
Kemp said the state was continue to increase the number of tests available statewide, touting both a mobile testing unit that will travel in Middle and South Georgia and an app from Augusta University that will let people know if they are candidates to be tested.
