Georgia’s Republican governor on Thursday appeared undeterred by a torrent of resistance, led by Mr. Trump, to his plan to allow many businesses to reopen this week.
Less than 24 hours after Mr. Trump said he opposed Gov. Brian Kemp’s strategy, saying that he thought he was acting “too soon,” Mr. Kemp used his Twitter account to publicize a list of frequently asked questions about how Georgia intended to relax its rules.
He gave no indication that he intended to reverse his decision, announced on Monday, for what he described as a measured process meant to bolster the economy. The governor’s plan gives permission to gyms, hair and nail salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen on Friday. Then, on Monday, restaurants are allowed to resume dine-in service, and movie theaters and other entertainment venues can reopen.
Mr. Trump rebuked Mr. Kemp even more strongly on Thursday evening.
“I wasn’t happy with Brian Kemp,” Mr. Trump said at the White House briefing, adding that while he had told Mr. Kemp to do what he thought was necessary, he believed that the governor’s plan to reopen Georgia’s businesses did not follow the federal guidelines that his administration detailed last week.
“I don’t want this thing to flare up because you are deciding to do something that is not in the guidelines,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Kemp’s decision was immediately assailed, as public health experts, the mayors of Georgia’s largest cities and others warned that it stood to have perilous consequences. Business owners who were otherwise eager to revive their livelihoods said they would hold off. Then Mr. Trump added his voice.,
The death toll in Georgia stood at 872 on Thursday, having risen by more than 100 since Mr. Kemp announced his reopening plans on Monday. And the state has now confirmed 21,512 cases, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported, up from 18,947 on Monday.
Mr. Trump’s head-spinning criticism of Mr. Kemp’s plan has sown confusion among Georgia Republicans, who saw Mr. Kemp, a full-throated Trump fan, win the governorship in 2018 on the strength of a presidential endorsement. It has also sent a confusing message to other Republican governors who are confronting politically fraught decisions over whether they should loosen their own restrictions in the coming days.
On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, which borders Georgia, said he would extend his state’s stay-at-home order until May 8, saying on Twitter, “we need to slow the virus before we can ease restrictions.”
Mr. Kemp acknowledged speaking with Mr. Trump in a series of Twitter posts after the president’s briefing. And while he praised Mr. Trump for his “bold leadership and insight,” he gave no indication he was reconsidering his decision.
“Our next measured step is driven by data and guided by state public health officials,” he wrote.
States around the nation have been trying to balance combating a public health crisis with the need to ameliorate a growing economic crisis. In some states, small protests — with the support of some conservative groups — have urged governors to ease restrictions. But polls have found that Americans are more fearful of easing restrictions too early than too late, and some business leaders have cautioned against moving too quickly to reopen.
On Wednesday, Mayor Carolyn Goodman of Las Vegas called for the city’s casinos, restaurants and other businesses to immediately reopen but declined to provide any guidance on social distancing measures that might protect employees and customers.
“They better figure it out,” she said in an interview on CNN, during which she said she had offered the city “to be a control group” for relaxing restrictions.
The mayor, an independent, does not have the power to reopen the city’s economy, but Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada, a Democrat, and the largest union representing Las Vegas casino workers swiftly condemned her comments. “I will not allow the citizens of Nevada, our Nevadans, to be used as a control group,” Mr. Sisolak said.
Reference: The New York Times
