Reopening of economy goes “too fast too soon” in Georgia – Senator Graham

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Senator Lindsey Graham said on Twitter that he’s concerned about Georgia’s “too fast too soon” approach of reopening the economy.
• Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced on Monday that businesses will reopen on Friday which include gyms, hair and nail salons and bowling alleys while theaters, restaurants and private social clubs will reopen on April 27.
• Many lawmakers also asserted that mass testing should be done first before states can fully operate to ensure safety.

In his tweet on Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham expressed his concern about Georgia reopening its economy too soon in light of the virus outbreak.

“I support what South Carolina Governor @henrymcmaster announced yesterday — a small reopening of our state’s economy with a focus on social distancing,” he tweeted. “I worry that our friends and neighbors in Georgia are going too fast too soon,” the senator added.

Graham’s sentiments came as public leaders and health officials have warned that reopening the economy too quickly could pin risks for the country and may prompt another wave of new infections, which will put the US health care system under pressure again.

In a following tweet, Graham warned that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s aggressive move on reopening the economy could have unfavorable implications for neighboring states such as South Carolina. “We respect Georgia’s right to determine its own fate, but we are all in this together… What happens in Georgia will impact us in South Carolina,” the senator tweeted.

Kemp declared on Monday that businesses in Georgia which include gyms, hair and nail salons and bowling alleys would be reopened on Friday. Meanwhile, theaters, restaurants and private social clubs will be allowed to reopen on April 27.

Georgia’s reopening plan is the most aggressive, albeit it is not the sole state attempting a swift economic resumption. In South Carolina, public beaches and selected retail stores were reopened on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Texas, state parks reopened on Monday.

Aside from Graham, many lawmakers asserted that mass testing should be done first before states can completely reopen their economies.

Millions of loan and grant applications by unemployed Americans and small business owners — along with the tough restrictions of social distancing and commercial shutdown — have shuttered the US economy.

Source: The Hill