As cases and deaths from COVID-19 rise in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday announced that he will issue a shelter-in-place order on Thursday that would last through at least April 13.
Kemp also announced he will issue a second executive order keeping all public schools in the state closed for the rest of the academic year.
Kemp had resisted calls for him to issue a stay-at-home order similar to that of more than 30 states, he resulting in a patchwork of ordinances that can vary widely even among neighboring communities.
Earlier Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a similar order after days of saying it wasn’t necessary.
Kemp’s order will be published Thursday and take effect Friday. He defended his decision not to issue it earlier, saying Georgia had implemented stricter restrictions than other states and was following guidance from health professionals.
“We are taking action to protect our hospitals, to help our medical providers and prepare for the patient surge that we know is coming,” he said. ”This action will ensure uniformity across jurisdictions for Georgians sheltering in place and help families and businesses be able to comply with its provisions.”
Kemp praised his citizens for following existing social-distance guidelines and urged patience but called new information that people can have the disease without showing symptoms "a game-changer” in his decision to order everyone in the state to stay home.
“When hard-working and Georgians limit their travel, their interaction with others and limit their activities, they are buying us more time to get additional hospital beds ready, order supplies and continue to prepare for more positive cases,” Kemp said.
The governor also detailed efforts to monitor hospital occupancy and medical equipment, saying that the models forecast an April 23 peak of demand for hospitalizations in Georgia. He also dispatched medical units of the Georgia National Guard to help the hard-hit counties of Doughtery and Lee counties, which have so many patients and deaths that have overwhelmed their small county resources.
Dougherty County has suffered at rates higher than any community in the state. The county that includes Albany had at least 29 dead from the virus on Wednesday night, with 490 infections confirmed there.
On Tuesday, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany released a patient who tested positive for the virus and had been on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. Hospital staff lined the hallway as the patient headed home after several weeks in the ICU, said Dr. Steven Kitchen, chief medical officer at the hospital.
“They were cheering. They were crying,” Kitchen said. “This is an event that we are hopeful is going to be repeated not only at Phoebe Putney, but across every hospital that we see.”
Many of the state’s mayors had pressed Kemp to impose greater restrictions statewide in hopes of slowing the new virus.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told a news conference Tuesday that mayors on a conference call to discuss the virus response a day earlier had largely agreed the Republican governor needs to take more robust action.
Chatham County, where Savannah is located, has 39 positive cases and two deaths reported.
“I understand that he wants to take it slow. I understand that he wants to maintain arrows in his quiver,” Johnson said. “But the fact of the matter is these cities need some consistency. Because right now, we’re all over the place.”
Testing for COVID-19 has been limited in Georgia, with results often taking longer than a week. That’s hindered the ability of state health officials to know how widespread infections truly are.
The Georgia Municipal Association held a conference call for mayors Monday to update them on the virus response, said Larry Hanson, the group’s executive director. But Hanson said there’s still disagreement over what role the state should play.
A shrinking handful of Georgia counties still have no confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Fearful of closing businesses and losing jobs, Hanson said, some local leaders don’t want the governor to impose tougher restrictions statewide.
Kemp’s office said in a news release Tuesday that state health officials working with clinical laboratories at Georgia universities should soon be able to process up to 3,000 test samples daily using equipment borrowed from campus research labs and new methods approved by a state task force.
Meanwhile, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles said it’s reviewing cases of some inmates for possible early release to help prisons manage infection risks. A news release said the board is weighing clemency for some nonviolent offenders within roughly six months of finishing their sentences.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.