As COVID-19 Surges in Georgia, Kemp Continues to Oppose Life-Saving Public Health Measures

Yesterday, following the announcement of new federal workplace health and safety measures to combat COVID-19 amid failed Republican state leadership, Brian Kemp doubled down on his continued opposition to fighting the pandemic with baseless legal threats that constitutional law experts have called “pure political puffery.”

“With Georgians dying and our state’s hospitals overwhelmed from COVID-19, Brian Kemp is fighting everyone and everything except the virus,” said Rebecca Galanti, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Between banning local governments from trying to slow COVID-19 spread and picking public fights with the federal government, Kemp is putting his own politics ahead of saving Georgians’ lives. Brian Kemp’s failed leadership throughout this pandemic is not only shameful and disqualifying – it’s deadly.”

According to an August poll, 63% of Georgia voters support workplace health and safety measures similar to those that Kemp is now opposing.

Kemp’s failed leadership as the Delta variant surges in Georgia:

• Kemp, who has so far rejected any statewide COVID-19 mitigation measures, is barring cities and counties from enforcing COVID-19 mitigation measures and protecting their own communities.
• Kemp, when asked if he thought he was doing enough to slow the spread of COVID-19, unironically said, “If you have any good ideas how we can further slow the spread, I’d be open to them.” 
• Rather than enact measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, Kemp has said he’s simply going to be “keeping my fingers crossed.” 
• A day after Georgia recorded one of its highest daily COVID-19 case counts ever, Kemp admitted he hadn’t been keeping tabs on the spiking daily case rates, saying, “That’s kind of surprising.”

The state of COVID-19 in Georgia under Brian Kemp:

• Georgia has seen a 200% increase in deaths the past two weeks compared to the previous two weeks. 
• Georgia has seen more than a 100% increase in hospitalizations the past two weeks compared to the previous two weeks.
• Georgia has only 68 ICU beds left in the entire state – the first time since the pandemic began that every region in Georgia is using more than 90% of their beds simultaneously.
• Seriously ill COVID-19 patients make up more than one-third of all hospitalized Georgians.
• Only 45% of eligible Georgians are fully vaccinated – one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.

###