so let's take another look at Georgia
here Georgia's population is ten point
six million people as of noon today
3,700 of those ten point six million are
hospitalized with kovat 19:00 and they
have had today's 799 deaths now it has
been 14 days since the projected peak of
daily deaths in Georgia according to the
widely cited I am II modeling now that
model assumes that current social
distancing policies stay in place
throughout the next couple of months so
let's bring in the governor from Georgia
Brian Kemp governor thank you very much
for being here this evening it's good to
have you with us again I guess by asking
you great great to have you let me ask
you to respond to the Atlanta mayor
because obviously Atlanta is a very
dense population and she clearly has
some big concerns about reopening the
places that you would like to open well
Martha looked the mayor and I have a
great relationships he's doing a working
very hard just like all local elected
officials are to protect their
population I'm doing the same thing
we've worked together on a lot of things
you know I've heard comments about this
issue and you know I've certainly had a
lot of praise and a lot of criticism but
we're taking a measured step I would
urge people to really look at the
guidance so we're going to be putting
out the rest of the week you know I
announced this on Monday so we can have
time to educate the public and the
business owners that this is just not
handing them the keys back to go back to
where we were this is a measured
approach with a lot of different
requirements and guidance that we're
going to be putting out and very
confident of that step it was done in
conjunction with public health officials
officials based on the data that we're
seeing in our state in the gateways to
the Phase one part of the president's
plan all right so you know we just
watched dr. deborah birx
and she was questioned about your plan
to reopen on Friday and she said you
know that she feels it's incumbent and
I'm paraphrasing incumbent upon
governor's such as yourself
to be very transparent about the data
that you used to make this decision so
can you explain to everyone at home
tonight what is the data that brought
you to this conclusion especially given
the fact that the deaths are still
rising in in Georgia what data did you
use well I think it's important for
people to understand how the data comes
in a lot of the data that we're posting
today the testing or the fatality may
have happened you know five or six days
ago based on the type of reporting
that's been done I mean look I spent all
weekend working with doctor to me who is
a you know great epidemiology a great
public health official one of the best I
think in the country I did not make this
decision without her support we pored
over this data we were looking at all
kind of different models I've had
hospital CEOs that I've been in contact
with that reached their peak way back on
April the 6th you know I've spoken to
them about the idea of doing some
elective surgery surgeries they were
supporting that decision they support a
measured opening which is what we're
doing it's going to be very limited in
scope basic operations we're talking
about a few businesses that I closed
down to help flatten the curve which we
have done in our state but for us to
continue to ask them to do that while
they lose everything
quite honestly there are a lot of civil
repercussions of that mental health
issues we're seeing more patients in our
trauma centers in our state because
people are just you know they're tired
of it and there's a you know it's a
tough balance and I understand where
folks like the mayor and and others may
agree or disagree I got some people that
are protesting me because I took this
step and I may have others that protest
me because I didn't go far enough what
we've been doing you know Martha no I'd
like to just explain to you know we took
measured steps to get to the shelter in
place and now we're taking measured
steps to come out of that this is not a
giant leap forward can you can you tell
me what you mean by that so for instance
it does is it in Atlanta if someone
wants to get their nails done or their
hair done on Friday and or a tattoo or
go to a gym I mean these are very
close contact kinds of businesses that
are the first ones on your list can you
explain why you would start with those
kinds of businesses on day one well
those are the ones were closed though
the businesses in Georgia are still
currently opening under the order that I
have now and we're coming down I think
that's what a lot of people don't
understand but you also have to give
that Fitness owner or that owner and a
hair salon the you know the ability to
be able to be a partner in this fight
that we're in you know they're gonna
have to follow the strict guidelines I
would tell you that I was imagine
there'll be people in gyms that will be
a lot safer than they would be going to
the grocery store some of the other
places of business that are part of the
critical infrastructure that's been
designated at the federal level you know
this is going to take some common sense
our people in our state have learned a
lot through this they have helped us be
a solution to the problem to flatten the
curve and to start getting on the other
side of this our hospital capacity you
know you have to remember the reason we
did this to start with is so we had time
to build up hospital capacity we are
having you know record vacancies in our
hospitals right now because we were
getting ready for the surge they are
bleeding money and they need help as
well as you know our local business I
understand that so we're prepared for
you know what may come with this and
we're prepared that we're ramping up
testing I've talked extensively about
that in my press conference on Monday we
have almost 3,000 National Guard troops
that are cleaning long-term care
facilities they've got ten mobile
testing sites so we can go to hot spots
whether it's long-term care other
vulnerable populations in the state and
them doing this is it going to allow our
public health officials to do contact
tracing which is another part of the
plan that dr. Burks talked about I got a
couple questions I'd love to just get in
a couple quickly for it with you if I
can you've said that businesses have to
screen for illnesses how are they going
to do that so if just give the gym
example how someone wants to walk into a
gym in Atlanta and we just heard the
mayor doesn't think that Atlanta is
ready for this
if I want to go to the gym in Atlanta on
Friday how are they going to screen me
well it's not saying they've got to
screen them these are best practices
they could do temperature screening you
know they can do the verbal guidelines
that all businesses should be giving
their employees now educating them you
do not come to work you know the
potential for testing now and in the
future so you know there's common-sense
things that people can do and listen
we're already doing that with businesses
in our state you know I got heavily
criticized for keeping our state parks
open and our beaches open and we've had
absolutely no problem with allowing
people to go out and get some exercise
they have practice social distancing
they have behaved themselves and in fact
we had people from other states coming
to Georgia because they had closed their
parks yeah no I think there's a lot of
widespread do you know why we had to
close all the parks I think is one of
the big questions a lot of Americans
have but I just want to stay with you on
this point because you know screening so
let's say that the gym decides that
they're going to test everybody's
temperature when they walk in but as we
all know there are asymptomatic people
who are contagious to every person that
they come in contact with potentially so
once you've got a fever it's already too
late you've already you know been five
days of being someone who can spread
that disease so how are you going to
pull the green these people the same
could be the same could be happening at
the grocery store in other places that's
why the fitness owners I have great
confidence in them spreading people out
when they're doing a workout doing this
additional sanitation that we've all
been you know learned how to do now and
taking those precautions with hand
sanitation and having the the folks
working in the facilities wearing masks
and and other things and we'll be
putting those guidelines out and listen
if people don't want to go Martha they
don't have to if people don't want to
open the gym they don't have to but when
you close somebody's business down and
take the livelihood of that individual
and those employees and they are
literally at the face of losing
everything I'm willing to give them the
benefit of the doubt I think they're
going to do
right there and we're gonna continue to
focus on testing and contact tracing and
all the other things you know everybody
in this country is gonna be watching
your state because you're one of the
most aggressive and the earliest in this
process and you've got you know mayors
in Albany and mayor's in Atlanta who are
very much against this so you guys are
almost going to be you know and and I
hope it I hope that yeah well I would
argue if you take out all being that out
of Albany out of the situation right now
our state is a much different place
because of a person going to the funeral
a month and a half ago when people
didn't know that that was not a good
thing to do
Albany's had more deaths I'm pretty sure
and saying this then Atlanta has so you
know you have to be relative with the
data that you're looking at you know I'm
looking at it every day every hour of
every day and I know in Albany their
Hospital down there is now taking
patients from other areas so that tells
you we're in a good space down there
because we reacted quickly to a really
bad situation and we're prepared to
continue to do that around the rest of
our state very quickly if you can you're
the home of the Delta Airlines hub in
Atlanta so how are you going to deal
with with Delta Airlines there and we
know the president is talking about
closing the borders for immigration are
you concerned that you know you're gonna
get your house in order and people are
just going to keep you know flying
through Atlanta and bringing things from
from other places well I would tell
people the great state of Georgia's
taking a lot of people from around the
country our state when nobody else would
was taking cruise ship passengers in a
very tough situation and we were glad to
work with the president and the vice
president to do that we've worked with
our Airport as we've had other cruise
passengers that have been flown into our
state and we had to transport them to
other places and I can tell you that is
a well-run Airport they handled those
situations great we we have a great
communication with them their general
manager is on my task force and I will
continue to deal with those type
situations working with the president
working with the vice president the task
force the guidance that we're getting
from CDC and that's working up what
we're going to be asking our Georgia
business owners to
as well as our hard-working employees in
this state well we certainly wish you
and the people of Georgia luck and
health and we hope that this sort of
early experiment and reopening is hugely
successful because everybody in the
country wants to get back open wants to
get back to work
but we cannot would just take your
measured approach all right governor I
hope you'll come back and let us know
how it's going we'd like to hear a
follow-up from you in a week or so we'll
do it thank you