Updated at 7:08 p.m. Friday
Barbershops, nail salons, gyms and a few other businesses reopened in Georgia on Friday as the Republican governor eased a month-long shutdown despite warnings from health experts of a potential new surge of coronavirus infections.
As some customers ventured back to these venues, the confirmed number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpassed 50,000, according to a tally compiled by John Hopkins University from government figures. The actual death toll is believed to be far higher.
The Georgia Department of Health confirmed 22,491 cases in the state and nearly 900 deaths as of 7 p.m. Friday.
Even though limited in scope, the reopenings in Georgia and at least two other states marked a symbolic milestone in the debate raging in the United States – and the world — as to how quickly political leaders should lift economically damaging lockdown orders.
With deaths and infections still rising in Georgia, many business owners planned to stay closed despite of Gov. Brian Kemp’s assurance that hospital visits and new cases have leveled off enough for barbers, tattoo artists, massage therapists and personal trainers to return to work with restrictions.
Kemp’s timeline to restart the economy proved too ambitious even for President Donald Trump, who says he disagrees with the fellow Republican’s plan.
On Friday, Trump signed a $484 billion bill to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the pandemic — the latest federal effort to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or scale down. Over the past five weeks, roughly 26 million people have filed for jobless aid, or about 1 in 6 U.S. workers.
Without a tried-and-tested action plan for how to pull countries out of coronavirus lockdown, the world is seeing a patchwork of approaches. Schools reopen in one country, stay closed in others; face masks are an obligation here, a simple recommendation there.
Kids still attend soccer practice in Sweden while they are not even allowed outside in Spain. As governments and scientists fumble around, still struggling with so many unknowns, individuals are being left to take potentially life-affecting decisions.
In Georgia, David Huynh had 60 clients booked for appointments at his nail salon in Savannah, but a clothing store, jewelry shop and chocolatier that share a street corner with his downtown business, Envy Nail Bar, remained closed as he opened.
“The phone’s been staying ringing off the hook,” Huynh said. “We’ve probably gotten hundreds of calls in the last hour.”
Four women clutching face masks were waiting outside when the salon opened for the first time since March 26.
“Yes, I am ready to get my nails fixed,” said Alina Davis, a police officer for the local school system, who kept working throughout the crisis.
The gradual reopenings come as coronavirus testing continues to lag across the United States. To date, according to data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project, just under 4.7 million people have been tested in the country of 330 million people.
A lack of tests and supplies has hampered the U.S. effort from the beginning. About 193,000 people were tested on Thursday. That’s an increase from the two-week daily average of 163,000, but far less than what public health experts estimate is needed to get a handle on the virus.
Researchers at Harvard have estimated a minimum of 500,000 daily tests are needed, and possibly much more, in order to safely reopen the economy.
Atlanta Gets $88 million in CARES funds
The City of Atlanta has received $88 million in federal money, as part of the CARES Act emergency relief fund for local governments.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told the City Council of the funding on a conference call Thursday.
“We are still waiting for direction on specifically what costs will be covered by this,” she said. “We do believe that hazard pay and PPE [personal protective equipment] will be covered. But we are awaiting additional guidance from the federal government on that.”
The Mayor told the City Council this month that the city is expecting a budget shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia Releases Standards For Dine-In Restaurants
As some non-essential businesses open across Georgia Friday, Gov. Kemp has also released standards for restaurants to resume dine-in service on Monday.
The guidelines issued Thursday night recommend owners stop buffets and salad bars, change out menus for disposable ones and screen employees for signs of illness.
Kemp also ordered that no more than 10 customers should be allowed in every 500 square feet of a restaurant.
The governor is facing bipartisan criticism from President Donald Trump and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, both say they are not on the same page as Kemp.
Republican Congressman Doug Collins also said Kemp has “caused a lot of confusion.”
U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler has said she wants to support both Trump and Kemp.
Some School Districts Holding Virtual Graduations
Since Georgia schools won’t reconvene in person before the school year ends, a lot of seniors have been asking, “What about graduation?”
Some districts have opted for virtual graduations. Others are delaying in-person ceremonies.
Atlanta Public Schools will do both, according to Superintendent Meria Carstarphen:
“We are going to go through the month of May with a virtual celebration concept, delaying all traditional ceremonies until this summer or we know that it’s safe,” she said.
Carstarphen said the district would like to conduct in-person ceremonies in late July.
But she said they could be pushed back to the winter holidays.
Disclosure: The Atlanta Board of Education holds WABE’s broadcast license.
