Brian Kemp Takes Action to Facilitate COVID-19 Spread in Georgia

With COVID-19 surging in Georgia due to the Delta variant and low state vaccination rates, Brian Kemp is finally taking action –– to facilitate the spread of the virus.

Kemp –– who has so far rejected any statewide COVID-19 mitigation measures –– is now contradicting his own stated commitment to local control by announcing he is barring local governments from taking steps to blunt the spread of COVID-19.

“It’s bad enough that Brian Kemp has refused to implement any statewide measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Georgia – now, he is forbidding local governments from protecting their own communities. As public health officials, parents, and Georgians at large beg Kemp to take action to combat the current COVID-19 surge in our state, the only action he is apparently willing to take is one that will help COVID-19 spread in Georgia and undermine local efforts to control the virus,” said Rebecca Galanti, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Kemp’s prioritization of politics over public health in the midst of a once-in-a-generation pandemic is shameful and disqualifying, and Georgians deserve better.”

The state of Georgia’s schools, hospitals, and public health under Brian Kemp:

• Georgia hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. Georgia is one of five states with intensive care units over 90% full. Many pediatric hospitals report that more than 75% of their ICU beds are occupied by sick children, while that number is closer to 90% in some places. Grady Hospital doctors in Atlanta say the emergency room is “overrun” and describe the situation as “untenable” across the state.
• Children’s education is being disrupted as more Georgia kids get sick. At least 19 Georgia school districts and several more individual schools and classes have had to go remote or temporarily shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks, as Kemp refuses to support COVID mitigation efforts to protect kids who are unable to get vaccinated. Georgia has the fourth-highest number of children hospitalized for COVID in the nation, as more Georgia kids are being hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any point in the pandemic. 
• GOP primary voters are souring on Kemp, while Trump continues to seek revenge. A poll commissioned by Trump’s political operation found that “Brian Kemp is a weak incumbent” who stands to lose the Republican primary if Trump endorses a strong opponent such as David Perdue. The poll underscores Trump’s fixation with Kemp and desire to exact revenge months after Kemp refused to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results.

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