ATLANTA – University System of Georgia (USG) students, faculty and staff plan to launch daily protests of the system’s lack of a mask mandate at campuses across the state starting Monday.
The plan was announced in an email to Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney this week.
Matthew Boedy, president of the Georgia Conference of the American Association of University Professors, complained that without a mask mandate to discourage the spread of COVID-19, many students, professors and staff are not following the system policy encouraging mask wearing.
“The USG and its Regents have ignored the [federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], the state’s large cadre of public health professors, and what I am sure have been many private pleas from university administrators,” wrote Boedy, an associate professor at the University of North Georgia.
“Many of the state’s k-12 schools where our children attend have mandated masks. And yet even after pleas from the officials charged with the safety of those in that system, still the USG refuses.
“So cases skyrocket, hospitals fill, and deaths climb.
“We will not sit idly by and watch this hellscape anymore.”
Protests have been scheduled on university system campuses in Atlanta, Albany, Augusta, Athens, Savannah, Columbus and other locations. Demonstrators will gather at different times each day.
“This is not a strike, work stoppage or ‘teach-out,’ ” Boedy wrote. “Classes will continue at their appointed time, and education will not cease.”
MacCartney defended the university system’s stand against mask mandates on Thursday during a meeting of the Board of Regents. She said the system’s colleges and universities spent months preparing to hold classes safely, including distributing masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and COVID-19 tests.
“The health and safety protocols are in place,” she said.
Gov. Brian Kemp has opposed mask mandates on university campuses or in the workplace as divisive at a time Georgians need to work together to fight the spread of the virus.
This story available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
The University System of Georgia is encouraging but not requiring students and professors to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium photo)
ATLANTA – The University System of Georgia is doing everything it can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 short of imposing a mask mandate, the system’s acting chancellor said Thursday.
The system’s policy encouraging but not requiring students, professors and other employees to get vaccinated and wear masks is in keeping with Gov. Brian Kemp’s position that mandates are divisive, and people should be given a choice.
“Everybody has the ability to get vaccinated,” Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney told the system’s Board of Regents. “Everybody has the ability to wear a mask.”
The university system’s decision not to require vaccinations or masks comes as COVID-19 cases continue increasing at some of the system’s 26 colleges and universities.
Some faculty groups have passed resolutions demanding mask mandates in indoor spaces where social distancing is difficult and have held demonstrations on some campuses.
MacCartney encouraged those demanding mask mandates to remain civil.
“I understand the concerns of some on our campuses and in our communities,” she said. “[But] attacking our presidents and campus administrators is not productive. It will not affect how we make decisions.”
MacCartney outlined steps the university system has taken to discourage the spread of the virus since classes began last month. She said the campuses have distributed 432,000 masks, 942,000 gloves, more than 1,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and more than 313,000 COVID-19 tests.
Most campuses are offering incentives to encourage vaccinations, and turnout at on-campus vaccination sites is on the rise, she said.
“It is an all-court press, and it will continue as long as we battle this pandemic,” she said.
MacCartney said surveys of students and parents found overwhelming support for resuming in-person classes this semester. The campuses shut down in March of last year when the coronavirus pandemic first struck Georgia, and students were forced to rely on virtual instruction.
“[Students] understand the challenges online learning had for them last year,” MacCartney said. “Being on campus, physically able to interact with professors, has a profound effect.”
This story available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – As COVID hospitalizations soar in Georgia and Democrats and Republicans spar over how to deal with them, the state’s largest hospital system is canceling all non-essential medical procedures and surgeries.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Grady Health System CEO John Haupert said, “The Labor Day weekend proved to be labor-intensive at Grady. Seriously ill patients with COVID-19 and other significant health issues inundated the hospital. And because other hospitals in the area are just as full, our weekend-long total diversion status did little to slow the steady stream of ambulance-delivered patients. And remember, like any other hospital, it is our responsibility to always care for anyone who comes through our doors – we will never turn anyone away.
“Because of the strain this is putting on the health system, our patients, and our staff, we must make some changes to the way we operate. As of today, we are canceling non-essential outpatient surgery and procedures. We will regularly review patient volumes to determine when we can resume those services. We are working through this as best we can, all while watching closely for a potential post-holiday COVID-19 surge.
“We realize this is a decision that will inconvenience our patients but is necessary under these extraordinary circumstances to keep our patients and staff safe.”
On Wednesday, two Georgia Democratic congressmen – David Scott of Atlanta and Hank Johnson of Stone Mountain – wrote a letter urging Gov. Brian Kemp to enact a statewide pause on elective, in-patient surgeries. They also called for Kemp to extend licensing waivers for hospitals and health-care workers who provide critical services beyond the current waivers’ Sept. 19 expiration date.
“Hospital systems are being forced to make difficult decisions about how to care for patients when there aren’t enough resources to go around,” the congressmen said. “Our state is at a critical point in its fight against the pandemic and as elected officials, we must prioritize the health and well-being of our citizens above all other considerations.”
In response, Kemp urged Scott and Johnson to “request the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set a maximum rate for contract health-care workers” and “demand clear guidance from the [federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the White House regarding COVID-19 booster shots and their detailed logistical plans to assist states in this enormous undertaking.
“My top priority over the last month has been to ensure hospitals across our state have the necessary resources at their disposal to deliver care to Georgians in need,” Kemp wrote.
The governor said he has directed the state Department of Community Health to increase state-supported hospital staffing from 1,500 to 2,800 and authorized up to 2,500 Georgia National Guard troops to assist hospital systems with non-medical staffing needs.
Wednesday’s latest coronavirus figures from the state Department of Public Health show 1.14 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with more than 20,000 deaths and 75,214 hospitalizations.
On Tuesday, a personal finance website, WalletHub, released a survey showing Georgia ranks 47th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of overall coronavirus recovery.
ATLANTA – The economic impact of the surging delta variant of COVID-19 has yet to be felt in Georgia.
Tax collections in the Peach State rose by 12.7% last month compared to August of last year, the state Department of Revenue reported Wednesday. Revenues are up 6.2% for the first two months of fiscal 2022, which began July 1.
Individual income tax receipts and sales tax collections for August showed similar healthy increases.
Individual income tax revenue rose by 13.9% partly due to a drop in tax refunds issued by the revenue agency.
Net sales tax collections were up by 11.7% compared to August of last year.
Corporate income tax receipts fell significantly, however, dropping by 134.7%, as refunds outstripped tax payments. Corporate income tax revenues typically are more volatile month to month than taxes on individuals.
Georgians paid 12.6% more in motor fuels taxes last month than in August 2020, no surprise considering the return of traffic to near-normal levels as businesses shut down during the pandemic reopened.
If state tax collections continue to show improvement, Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia lawmakers will enjoy the luxury of a healthy budget surplus entering the 2022 General Assembly session.
That increases the likelihood the state’s elected leaders will follow through with a promised pay raise for teachers and income tax cuts for Georgia taxpayers. Those were put on hold during the economic uncertainty brought about during the pandemic.
This story available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Georgia airports need $1.3 billion for projects including runway extensions and terminal improvements, Carol Comer, director of the state Department of Transportation’s Intermodal Division, said Wednesday.
That need translates to $411 million a year for commercial and general aviation airports that receive only about $68 million a year in combined state and federal funding, Comer told members of a legislative study committee the General Assembly created this year to look for ways to secure enough funds to ensure growth in Georgia’s aviation industry.
“We don’t need a Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in every community,” she said. “We need different levels of airports to accommodate different aircraft.”
Georgia’s 105 public airports generated $73.7 billion in economic impact in 2019, according to a pre-pandemic study conducted by Colorado-based aviation consulting firm Jviation Inc., up from $62.6 billion in 2011. The airports accounted for more than 450,000 jobs with a payroll of more than $20 billion.
While Hartsfield-Jackson accounted for 90% of that economic impact, Georgia’s so-called second-tier commercial airports and general aviation airports across the state also are significant economic contributors, Jviation Vice President Travis Vallin said.
About 1.1 million visitors passed through the state’s commercial airports in 2019, spending $440 per trip on average, according to the study. The general aviation airports drew 1.4 million visitors who spent $54 to $192 per trip.
“Visitors to the state leave money behind,” Vallin said.
Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, said airports are critical to their host counties’ economic fortunes. He cited instances where corporate prospects expressed interest in a city or county, only to arrive for a tour at a dilapidated terminal building and subsequently lose their enthusiasm for the area.
“These airports, particularly in rural Georgia, are the front doors for economic development in their communities,” said Clark, a member of the study committee.
Comer said Georgia’s airports have made significant progress in recent decades, thanks to infusions of state funding requested by then-Govs. Zell Miller, Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal.
But landing federal funding for airport projects is complicated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policies. For one thing, the FAA does not fund projects involving terminals, leaving those up to state and local governments, said state Sen. Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla, a member of the study committee and an amateur pilot.
“Sometimes, there’s not enough money to address projects we can’t use federal funding for,” he said.
Comer said the feds won’t fund projects of any kind at six Georgia airports, including the airports in Dahlonega and Moultrie. Seven others, including the Jekyll Island airport, only receive limited federal funding, she said.
Comer said another challenge is that Georgia is being substantially outspent when it comes to airport improvements by surrounding states that compete with Georgia for jobs. While Florida spent $329.3 million on airports during the last fiscal year and North Carolina was spending $125.5 million, Georgia only spent about $16 million, she said.
The $72.8 million in combined state and federal funds Georgia airports are slated to receive during the current fiscal year will only pay for 124 projects of nearly 300 project applications, Comer said.
Clark said domestic air travel is returning now to pre-pandemic levels but with a twist. More business travelers are expected to fly into and out of second-tier airports, which must be prepared for that growth, he said.
Clark said airports also must start getting ready to accommodate the advent of electric airplanes and the technology they will require.
“I don’t know that we’re going to do our jobs if we don’t think about long-term infrastructure needs beyond just paving runways,” he said.
Under the resolution creating the study committee, it has until the end of this year to issue recommendations.
This story available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
