Governor Kemp lifts many of Georgia’s remaining virus restrictions as CDC issues new mask guidelines

Following governors from Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Mississippi and West Virginia, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a 28-page executive order this week lifting remaining coronavirus restrictions in Georgia. His executive order comes after President Biden’s announcement that 100 million American adults have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and more than 3.5 million Georgians have received at least one dose.

Kemp’s directive, which takes effect immediately, rolls back requirements calling for restaurants to practice social distancing, ends safety guidelines designed for gyms, movie theaters, barbershops and other close-contact businesses, ends a requirement that workers at restaurants wear masks, lifts limits on conventions, scales back restrictions for live performance events, and clears the way for sports organizations to hold events more easily.

Not everyone is in agreement with Kemp’s action as the Governor faces criticism from public health experts and his critics who say relaxing the restrictions too soon sends the wrong message at the wrong time. An Emory University infectious disease expert pointed to federal data that shows Georgia’s still lags most of the nation in the distribution of the vaccine. Dr. Carlos del Rio said, “It’s too soon. We can still have an explosion of new cases like other states have experienced,” he said. “We’re catching up on vaccinations but doing away with masks and social distancing at this point could turn around all the progress we’ve achieved so far.” A spokeswoman from the Democratic Party said “Brian Kemp has failed Georgia at every stage in this pandemic, and now he’s ending even the most bare-bones restrictions keeping Georgians safe.” They promise to use his actions against him during his reelection run.

Kemp’s executive order was issued following CDC Director Rochelle Walensky’s announcement earlier in the week on Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, which included new face mask guidelines. The CDC Director said those fully vaccinated can forgo a mask, but she continued to stress caution and urges the continued use of face coverings in most indoor settings and in crowded outdoor areas. In her statement, Walensky said, “Today is another day we can take a step back to the normalcy of before. Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do, what they should not do. Today, I’m going to tell you some of the things you can do if you are fully vaccinated.”

Under the new CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated individuals can engage in several activities without wearing masks including walking, running, hiking or biking outdoors alone or with members of their household, attend small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends, attend small outdoor gatherings with a mixture of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people, dine at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple households.

In Georgia, 6,134,012 people have been administered at least one dose of the vaccine and 2.6 million are fully vaccinated. The CDC is continuing to recommend masks for indoor gatherings or crowded outdoor events.