KEMP.
KEMP. >>
KEMP. >> GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
LET ME FIRST THANK EVERYBODY
FOR BEING WITH US.
I CERTAINLY WANT TO START BY
THANKING DR. JEREMY, DIRECTOR
BRYSON, COMMISSIONER BARRY,
GENERAL CARDIN AND
SUPERINTENDENT WOODS FOR THEIR
STRONG LEADERSHIP DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. I ALSO LIKE DIRECTOR BRYSON
DID, I JUST WANT TO TAKE A
MOMENT AND THINK YOUR TEAMS
TOO.
TOO.
TOO. I
TOO. I KNOW WE DON'T DO THAT ENOUGH.
THEY HAVE BEEN GRINDING AWAY
EVERY DAY IN THE TRENCHES.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WATCHING THIS
MORNING, THANKS FOR ALL THAT
YOU ARE DOING.
THESE CONTINUE TO BE
CHALLENGING TIMES IN OUR STATE
AND OUR COUNTRY.
THE RECENT UPTICK OF COVID-19
CASES IS LITERALLY FROM COAST-
TO-COAST.
TO-COAST.
TO-COAST. IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS FIGHT IS
FAR FROM OVER.
WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE
THE PANDEMIC BEGUN.
WE ALSO HAVE INCREDIBLE
CHALLENGES THAT REMAIN IN FRONT
OF US.
OF US.
OF US. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS AS
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SEEN A RISE
IN CASES.
IN CASES.
IN CASES. A RISE IN HOSPITALIZATION RATES.
AND A RISE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF
GEORGIANS TESTING POSITIVE FOR
COVID-19.
COVID-19.
COVID-19. HOTSPOTS HAVE BEEN POPPING UP
AT CHURCHES, MANUFACTURING
PLANTS, AND LONG-TERM CARE
FACILITIES.
FACILITIES. AS A STATE, WE ARE LITERALLY
TRACKING THIS DATA HOURLY.
WHILE MUCH HAS CHANGED, WE ALSO
REMAIN LASER FOCUSED ON
PROTECTING BOTH THE LIVES, AND
THE LIVELIHOODS OF ALL
GEORGIANS.
GEORGIANS. EARLY IN THIS PANDEMIC, WE
WORKED CLOSELY WITH HOSPITAL
ADMINISTRATORS TO ENHANCE SURGE
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY. WE BUILT A HOSPITAL WITHIN THE
GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER
TO FREE UP BED SPACE, AND
THAT'S HOMER WAS TALKING ABOUT,
WE HAVE DELIVERED MOBILE UNITS
TO TARGETED REGIONS THROUGHOUT
OUR STATE.
OUR STATE. WE HAVE ALSO IDENTIFIED
FACILITIES THAT COULD FLEX AS
PATIENT POPULATIONS INCREASED.
NOW, AS HOSPITALIZATIONS RISE,
WE ARE ROLLING OUT OUR
STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WE HAVE HAD
IN PLACE FOR A LONG TIME, TO
ENSURE THAT SUPPLY MEETS DEMAND.
LAST WEEK AS MENTIONED EARLIER,
WE REACTIVATED THE GEORGIA
WORLD CONGRESS CENTER, WHICH
WILL SERVE AS A STEP DOWN UNIT
FOR AREA HOSPITALS.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY
WITH MEMBERS OF THE WHITE HOUSE
CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE TO PLAN
FOR FUTURE NEEDS.
TWO WEEKS AGO, WE WERE HONORED
TO HOST U.S. SURGEON GENERAL
JEROME ADAMS, AND JUST LAST
WEEK I SPOKE WITH ADMIRAL
GERARD ABOUT TESTING CAPACITY
AND SUPPLIES.
AND SUPPLIES. YESTERDAY I MET WITH DR.
DEBORAH BIRX, AND CDC DIRECTOR
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD TO DISCUSS
SCHOOL PREPAREDNESS AS WE HEAD
INTO THE FALL AS SUPERINTENDENT
WOODS MENTIONED EARLIER THIS
WEEK, WE ANNOUNCED THAT WE WILL
BE ADDING 62 BEDS IN THE MARCUS
TOWER.
TOWER.
TOWER. I
TOWER. I WANT TO THANK KEVIN BROWN AND
HIS WHOLE TEAM, AS WELL AS THE
VISION OF BERNIE MARCUS AND
MANY OTHER ATLANTA
PHILANTHROPISTS FOR THEIR
FORWARD THINKING THIS AND
PLANNING THIS TOWER OVER FIVE
YEARS AGO.
YEARS AGO. MOVING FORWARD, WE WILL
CONTINUE TO ADD BEDS WHERE
NEEDED.
NEEDED.
NEEDED. BECAUSE A PATIENT PROFILE AND
TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE,
HOSPITAL STAYS ARE NOW SHORTER
THAN THEY WERE WHEN WE FIRST
STARTED.
STARTED.
STARTED. WE ARE CONFIDENT IN OUR PLAN,
WHICH PROVIDES THE BEST
POSSIBLE CARE, WITHOUT
BANKRUPTING OUR HOSPITALS.
REST ASSURED, SAFEGUARDING
SURGE CAPACITY REMAINS A TOP
PRIORITY OF MY ADMINISTRATION.
IN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, WE
HAVE WITNESSED RECORD DEMAND
FOR TESTING AS DR. TOOMEY
MENTIONED WHILE GEORGIA IS
REPORTING NEARLY 20,000 TESTS
EVERY SINGLE DAY, WE KNOW THAT
MORE IS NOW NEEDED.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 172 STATE RUN
TESTING SITES OPEN.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO PARTNER
WITH LOCAL AND PRIVATE ENTITIES
TO EXPAND ACCESS IN TARGETED
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. THIS WAS ANOTHER AREA WE
DISCUSSED YESTERDAY WITH
AMBASSADOR BURKS AND DR.
REDFIELD.
REDFIELD.
REDFIELD. AND HOW THE FEDS AND THE STATE
CAN CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER
ON THIS ISSUE.
AS MANY IN THIS ROOM HAVE
REPORTED, NATIONAL LABS HAVE
BECOME BACKLOGGED, CAUSING MANY
GEORGIANS TO WAIT DAYS IF NOT
OVER A WEEK FOR THEIR RESULTS.
THIS IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE,
AND GEORGIANS DESERVE BETTER.
IN THE COMING DAYS, WE WILL
ANNOUNCE A NEW REGIONAL PARTNER
WHO WILL EXPAND CAPACITY,
ADDING 10,000 MORE TESTS A DAY,
AND PROVIDING FASTER RESULTS.
AS I'VE SAID FROM THE BEGINNING,
THE ACCESSIBLE, ACCURATE, AND
TIMELY TESTING ARE KEY TO
WINNING THE WAR AGAINST COVID-
19.
19.
19. WE
19. WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO WHATEVER
IT TAKES TO SHAKE UP THE STATUS
QUO, AND FIX THIS PRESSING
ISSUE.
ISSUE.
ISSUE. AS
ISSUE. AS GEORGIA CONTINUES TO BOOST
TESTING, ADD HOSPITAL BEDS,
DELIVER PPE, AND PROVIDE
MEDICAL STAFFING, I'M ASKING
GEORGIANS TO DO THEIR PART.
AFTER ALL, IT'S THE COMMUNITY
THAT DEFEATS THIS VIRUS, NOT
THE GOVERNMENT.
THE GOVERNMENT. THIS HAS BEEN A LONG, DIFFICULT
BATTLE FOR ALL OF US.
WE HAVE SHELTERED IN PLACE.
WE HAVE HAD TO DISTANCE
OURSELVES FROM LOVED ONES, AND
EVERYONE HAS HAD TO MAKE
INCREDIBLE SACRIFICES ALONG THE
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. WE
WAY. WE NOW MUST REAFFIRM OUR
COMMITMENT TO FLATTEN THE CURVE.
WE NEED ALL YOUNGER GEORGIANS
TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF
FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEALTH
GUIDANCE.
GUIDANCE.
GUIDANCE. TO REALIZE THAT THEIR EXPOSURE
CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
ON THEIR LOVED ONES.
WE MUST ALL DO OUR PART TO STOP
THE SPREAD.
THE SPREAD. TODAY, I'M ENCOURAGING ALL
GEORGIANS, FROM EVERY CORNER OF
THE STATE, TO DO FOUR THINGS
FOR FOUR WEEKS.
ONE, WEAR A MASK WHEN OUT IN
PUBLIC, OR WHEN YOU CANNOT
DISTANCE YOURSELF INSIDE.
TWO, PRACTICE PHYSICAL
DISTANCING. STAY 6 FEET FROM
THOSE YOU DON'T LIVE WITH.
THREE, CONTINUE TO WASH YOUR
HANDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
WITH WARM SOAP AND HOT WATER.
>> FOUR, FOLLOW THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER AND HEED THE GUIDANCE
PROVIDED BY PUBLIC HEALTH
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. IF WE DO THESE FOUR SIMPLE BUT
EFFECTIVE ACTIONS ON THE DAILY
BASIS, WE WILL MAKE INCREDIBLE
PROGRESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST
COVID-19.
COVID-19.
COVID-19. WE CAN PROTECT OUR LOVED ONES,
WE CAN REVIVE OUR LOCAL ECONOMY,
AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO TAKE
MEASURED STEPS FORWARD.
NOW, I KNOW THAT MANY WELL-
INTENTIONED AND WELL-INFORMED
GEORGIANS WANT A MASK MANDATE.
WHILE WE ALL AGREE THAT WEARING
A MASK IS EFFECTIVE, I'M
CONFIDENT THAT GEORGIANS DON'T
NEED A MANDATE TO DO THE RIGHT
THING.
THING.
THING. I
THING. I KNOW THAT GEORGIANS CAN RISE
TO THIS CHALLENGE, AND THEY
WILL.
WILL.
WILL. I
WILL. I KNOW THAT GEORGIANS WILL DO
THEIR PART TO DEFEAT THIS
DEADLY VIRUS.
DEADLY VIRUS. LAST WEEK, ON A CALL WITH
MAYORS AND COMMISSIONERS AROUND
THE STATE, I ISSUED A CHARGE TO
LOCAL LEADERS, AND I'LL DO IT
AGAIN TODAY.
AGAIN TODAY. INSTEAD OF ISSUING MANDATES
THAT ARE CONFUSING AND
UNENFORCEABLE, I'M ASKING ALL
LOCAL LEADERS TO ENFORCE THE
CURRENT EXECUTIVE ORDER.
ENFORCE THE RULES THAT WE HAVE
PUT IN PLACE TO KEEP EMPLOYEES
AND CUSTOMERS SAFE AT LOCAL
BUSINESSES.
BUSINESSES. ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS THAT
ENSURE FOLKS ARE STAYING 6 FEET
APART AT LARGE GATHERINGS.
ENFORCE MEASURES TO PROTECT THE
MEDICALLY FRAGILE.
MEDICALLY FRAGILE. USE YOUR BULLY PULPIT, YOUR
SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE, AND
YOUR CONNECTIONS WITH THE LOCAL
MEDIA, TO HELP BUILD SUPPORT
FOR WEARING A MASK WHEN NEEDED.
FOR OUR LOCAL CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE, ROTARY CLUBS, AND
OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS,
PLEASE HELP US ECHO THIS CALL.
ENCOURAGE THOSE YOU REPRESENT,
AND URGE THOSE YOU SERVE, TO
DOUBLE DOWN AND MASK UP.
THIS PANDEMIC HAS THREATENED
THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF
OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
CREATING ECONOMIC HARDSHIP THAT
WE HAVEN'T SEEN LIKE THIS IN A
VERY LONG TIME.
BUSINESSES ARE LITERALLY ON THE
BANK OF BANKRUPTCY.
THOUSANDS OF FILED FOR
UNEMPLOYMENT.
UNEMPLOYMENT. MANY ARE LEFT WONDERING HOW
THEY WILL PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.
AS GENERAL CARDIN JUST
MENTIONED.
MENTIONED. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, SOME
HAVE DECIDED TO PLAY POLITICS
BY EXPLOITING THESE DIFFICULT
EMOTIONAL MOMENTS FOR POLITICAL
GAIN.
GAIN.
GAIN. YESTERDAY, WE FILED A LAWSUIT
AGAINST THE CITY OF ATLANTA.
ON BEHALF OF BUSINESS OWNERS,
THEIR EMPLOYEES, AND HARD-
WORKING GEORGIANS THROUGHOUT
THE REGION WHO CONTINUE TO
STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
MEN AND WOMEN HAVE SEEN THEIR
PAYCHECKS DISAPPEAR.
PAYCHECKS DISAPPEAR. FATHERS, MOTHERS, SISTERS AND
BROTHERS, ARE BARELY HANGING ON.
MAYOR BOTTOMS' MASK MANDATE
CANNOT BE ENFORCED.
HER DECISION TO SHUTTER
BUSINESSES AND UNDERMINE
ECONOMIC GROWTH IS DEVASTATING.
ATLANTA BUSINESSES ARE HURTING.
VIOLENT CRIME IS UP.
FAMILIES ARE RIGHTFULLY WORRIED.
JUST LIKE SENDING IN THE
NATIONAL GUARD TO PROTECT THEM,
THOSE LIVING IN OUR CAPITAL CITY
FROM CRIME AND VIOLENCE, I
REFUSED TO SIT BACK AS
DISASTROUS POLICIES THREATEN
THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF
OUR CITIZENS.
OUR CITIZENS. WE WILL FIGHT TO STOP RECKLESS
ACTIONS, AND PUT PEOPLE OVER
PANDEMIC POLITICS.
PANDEMIC POLITICS. IN CLOSING, I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. WE
THIS. WE ALL KNOW IT HAS BEEN AN
INCREDIBLY TOUGH YEAR.
THAT'S QUITE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
THIS CRISIS HAS THREATENED OUR
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.
IT HAS UNDERMINED OUR ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY.
PROSPERITY. THERE IS JUSTICE THAT WE HAVE
SEEN WITH OUR OWN EYES THAT
MUST BE FIXED.
THERE IS VIOLENCE THAT MUST BE
QUELLED.
QUELLED.
QUELLED. WHEN I TRAVEL THE STATE, I HEAR
THE STORIES OF PAIN AND
SUFFERING.
SUFFERING. BUT, I STILL SENSE OPTIMISM.
I KNOW THAT ALL HOPE IS NOT
LOST.
LOST.
LOST. I
LOST. I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE
GOING TO WEATHER THIS STORM,
AND WE ARE GOING TO EMERGE
BETTER FOR IT.
I HAVE FAITH THAT EVERY
GEORGIAN WILL DO THEIR PART IN
THE DAYS AHEAD.
I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE
STRONGER NOW THAN WE HAVE EVER
BEEN, AND WE CANNOT LET
POLITICS DIVIDE US.
I KNOW THAT OUR BEST DAYS, ARE
NOT VERY FAR AWAY.
I ALSO KNOW THAT WE LIVE IN THE
GREATEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY,
IN THESE UNITED STATES.
WE CAN OVERCOME OBSTACLES AHEAD
OF US.
OF US.
OF US. BE
OF US. BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS AS THE
SCRIPTURE TELLS US.
HUNKER DOWN AND KEEP SHOPPING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH,