ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is encouraging Georgians to continue following state guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In a Wednesday morning press conference, Kemp stressed four things he and Georgia DPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey have been urging Georgia residents to do during the pandemic.
They call it “Four Things for Fall.”
- Wear a mask
- Watch your distance
- Wash your hands
- Follow public health guidelines
“We can not take our foot off the gas,” Kemp said.
Toomey says she wanted to “emphasize the four pillars of prevention” as well as encourage folks to get a flu shot this year.
“This is an extremely important thing to do, actually as part of our COVID response,” Toomey said.
Toomey says it’s all about preventing a “twindemic,” since experts are unsure of what the effects of COVID-19 and influenza are when combined.
Kemp also gave updates in Georgia’s COVID-19 fight.
He says new cases were down 64% from the July peak, Georgia is now 34th in new cases reported per 100,000 residents, and that COVID-19 patients now make up 8.8% of people in hospitals.
“This fight is about protecting lives but also livelihoods,” he said.
Toomey added that Georgians can expect to see a minor uptick in positive cases, since the state is in the process of pulling “probable cases” by next week.
These are positive antigen tests, she says.
In an executive order signed last Wednesday, Kemp extended all current COVID-19 restrictions until 11:59 p.m. on October 15.
The public health state of emergency was extended until November 9.
One minor change made in his latest order includes allowing workers at restaurants and bars to return to work once they have been symptom-free for 24 hours following a confirmed positive or suspected COVID-19 case.
Kemp first declared a public health state of emergency on March 14 of this year, and it has been continuously extended since then.
MORE RELATED HEADLINES
