Coronavirus crisis: Gov. Brian Kemp tours hard-hit Albany, but also warns of new metro hot spot

DOUGHERTY COUNTY, Ga. — Governor Brian Kemp got a closer look at how health care workers are handling the coronavirus crisis in Georgia’s hardest hit areas.

But he's also raising concerns about a hot spot in the metro area.

We all know how hard Dougherty County and Albany got hit by COVID-19. They've had almost as many deaths there as Fulton County has had, with only a fraction of the population.

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That's why the National Guard set up a mobile hospital unit to help handle the load of COVID-19 patients. Gov. Kemp toured those units at Phoebe Putney Hospital Tuesday morning.

Kemp said the Guard and contractors are now in the process of setting up another mobile hospital in Gainesville, and he said that area could become the next problem hot spot.

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"So we've bought four of these, placing them strategically around the state,” Kemp said. “One of the places we're going to be standing a unit like this up is Gainesville, which is something we're probably going to need right now. They're being stressed pretty hard up there."

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Hall County is home to one of the state’s largest Hispanic and Latino populations, with many working in the huge poultry industry.

“We’ve seen an increase in our community in regards to quarantine or sick in the last couple of weeks, especially this last week,” Latino Alliance director Vanessa Sarazua told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot.

The Department of Health website says there are more than 1,800 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hall County with about 230 hospitalizations. The state is sending doezns of doctors and nurses to Hall County to help.

Kemp continued to defend his decision to allow certain businesses to reopen, saying the state saw its fewest number of complaints of social distancing violators so far this weekend.

Critics continue to point to new models which reportedly show a possible second wave of cases and deaths over the summer.

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