ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp had more of an optimistic tone Tuesday as he spoke with Channel 2 anchor Justin Farmer about the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
May 1 is the latest predicted peak date for coronavirus cases in Georgia.
Kemp said the state is doing everything it can to make sure it is ready.
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“Capacity built up and our hospitals, working with my team, have done a great job freeing up bed space in existing hospitals. I feel really good about where we are,” Kemp said.
Farmer asked the governor about what it would take to get our economy even partially open again. He said rapid results testing in our hands is key.
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“We need to get to the point where we truly have a rapid test that somebody can take before leaving the house, go to work, before they go to a Braves game or their kids go to school, whatever the case may be on what the new norm is going to be. I know that there is a lot of people working on that issue, including us,” Kemp said.
The governor shared that he knows firsthand what it's like to feel financially vulnerable for one's family.
“Are you aware of how unemployment, whether it’s the state of Georgia or the federal government money, how that’s coming along?” Farmer asked Kemp.
“I know last week they processed more unemployment claims in one week than they did in one year,” Kemp said. “It’s still taking the feds a lot of time, a week or two weeks, to process those claims.”
Kemp said unemployment dollars are coming and if we as Georgians have discipline and continue social distancing, we can have this largely behind us before too long.
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