Friend,

Here in Georgia, we’re letting science, data, and the advice of experts us to get through this unprecedented public health and economic crisis.

As we continue to take bold and aggressive action to defeat COVID-19, we’ve also implemented a phased plan to incrementally and SAFELY reopen our great state and help Georgians to get back to work.

Given the favorable trends we’re seeing, I am confident that this is the right decision to protect the lives and livelihoods of hardworking Georgians in every corner of this great state.

Yesterday, I shared the latest data on our progress in the fight against this pandemic. Testing in our state has hit a record high – and we’ve rolled out a game-changing mobile testing initiative to rapidly expand access to testing in rural communities.

This is critical as we continue the measured process of reopening parts of our state, and I am grateful for our many private-sector partners who have provided support to get this operation online.

Ventilator use is now at a record low, and our hospital bed capacity is strong. Key data from the Georgia Department of Public Health continues to trend in the right direction.

Simply put, we’re seeing great success in flattening the curve.

Given this progress – and the fact that more than 1.1 million Georgians have lost their jobs as this crisis has unfolded – I believe it’s vital that we empower business owners and workers to restart our economy, while following detailed and strict hygienic guidelines to keep employees and customers safe.

None of these decisions are easy. But our Coronavirus Task Force is hard at work every single day to defeat this disease, while we strike the right balance to ensure that hard-hit families and businesses are able to recover from the economic fallout of this crisis.

Sidelined small business owners cannot continue to sit by and watch helplessly as the companies they built with their blood, sweat, and tears disappear before them. We have Georgia farmers, who have been hit with steep decreases in demand, forced to dump milk and let crops rot. Families are struggling to pay mortgages or rent and put food on the table, while consumed by worry about the future.

It’s time to get back to work, and get back to work SAFELY, for those that are ready.

We’ve been in this together as Georgians from Day One... and standing united together, we will defeat this pandemic, get our economy back on track while keeping Georgians safe, and emerge stronger than ever.

I’d like to know what you think, Friend.

Do you support our phased plan to begin reopening our Georgia economy?

Tap or click to record your response.

YES, I support this plan

NO, I oppose this plan

Sincerely,

Governor Brian Kemp