Governor Brian Kemp participated in a live town hall on Georgia’s response to the spread of COVID-19 that was televised and broadcast on radio stations around the state on Thursday night. He and members of the coronavirus task force answered questions from Atlanta area journalists; each was stationed at a different location to observe ‘social distancing’. These questions were based on submissions from the public.
Kemp weighed in on his decision to issue an Executive Order on Thursday to keep public schools closed through April 24th. He told GPB’s Patricia Murphy that he has leaned heavily on the advice of the task force and other leaders in making this and all other decisions regarding the current health crisis (and the subsequent effects on Georgians). Keeping the schools closed just a few more weeks will give more time to see just how far the virus will end up spreading across the state, stated Kemp. The goal is to ensure that teachers and students feel comfortable heading back to class without concern about coronavirus.
Other participants in Thursday night’s town hall were Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the Georgia Emergency Management-Homeland Security Agency’s Director Homer Bryson, Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John King, and Atlanta, GA Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.