On Monday, Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp has announced his plans to ease the lockdown measures that were imposed to prevent the spread of the virus. This is in step with his fellow governors from Tennessee and South Carolina.
On April 20th, Texas became the first state to reopen the state by granting access to public parks and retails, albeit in a restricted manner. These decisions are latest developments as the USA signals its shift back to normalcy.
On Friday, barbershops, gyms, bowling alleys and other indoor businesses will be reopening for the first time since April 2nd. Governor Kemp did emphasize that social distancing measures must be kept even though the businesses are reopening.
Moreover, movie theaters and restaurants will also open their doors once again on April 27th if the situation does not spiral out of control. Restaurants were only allowed to serve takeout and delivery orders since the lockdown measures began.
Kemp underlined that he was not interested in politics at all. The governor said he is most concerned about the financial security of Georgians, who are worrying if they will have enough money for food and mortgage payments.
According to the requirements from the federal government, facilities must adhere to 20 different measures before they are cleared to take guests. Screening of employees for symptoms, higher requirements for sanitation measures and having only a minimum amount of workers are some of the requirements.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee has also set a deadline on the lockdown measures. Lee has announced his plan to end the mandatory lockdown orders on April 30th for 89 out of 95 counties in his state. The 6 counties that are excluded are the 6 largest counties in the state, where they have their own public health districts.
In accordance with the expiration, businesses in Tennessee will be reopening as well. There have been protests in the state that called for the end of the measures as more than 300,000 lost their jobs since the lockdown began.
Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina have also begun discussions on reopening his state. Over the next month, a panel consisted of mayors, healthcare workers and business owners will come up with a reopening plan.
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