Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has contracted COVID-19.
Bottoms, 50, announced Monday evening she has tested positive for the virus but has not experienced any symptoms.
“COVID-19 has literally hit home,” the mayor said on Twitter. “I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.”
Georgia is among several states to see an uptick in positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks following the Memorial Day holiday in late May.
Roughly 97,000 people in Georgia had tested positive for the virus as of Monday afternoon. It had killed 2,878 Georgians.
In an interview on MSNBC Monday, Bottoms said she did not know where she might have contracted the virus. She and her family members have been diligent about washing hands and wearing masks, she said.
Bottoms said her positive COVID-19 results arrived after she and her family had tested negative about two weeks ago.
“It leaves me for a loss of words because I think it really speaks to how contagious this virus is,” Bottoms said. “We’ve taken all of the precautions that you can possibly take.”
Public health experts and elected officials including Gov. Brian Kemp have urged people over the past week to wear masks in public. So far, the governor has held off on ordering a statewide mask mandate.
The mayor’s announcement comes as she grapples not only with the city’s response to coronavirus but also a spate of violence centered around a burned-down Wendy’s that has been a focal point for recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
The fatal shooting Saturday night of an eight-year-old girl, Secoriea Turner, near the Wendy’s restaurant sparked swift condemnation from Bottoms and other officials.
Kemp has placed Georgia under a state of emergency through next Monday in response to Turner’s death and vandalism at the state Department of Public Safety headquarters in Atlanta.
Atlanta authorities said Turner was shot and killed when a group of armed people opened fire on the car in which she was riding across the street from the Wendy’s.
The restaurant was burned down amid protests shortly after Brooks’ killing. Since then, the site has been frequented by armed persons who at times have barricaded the property, according to police.
Gov. Brian Kemp discusses the state’s response to protests over police brutality and racial injustice at the State Operations Center in Atlanta on June 2, 2020. (Gov. Kemp’s officials Facebook page)
Gov. Brian Kemp placed Georgia under a state of emergency Monday afternoon following a pair of fatal shootings near a burned-down Wendy’s in Atlanta that has been a focal point for recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
The emergency order came hours after Kemp sounded a warning that his administration “won’t hesitate to take action” in the wake of the shooting deaths and after protesters damaged the state Department of Public Safety headquarters in Atlanta around 1 a.m. Sunday, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The order authorizes Georgia National Guard troops to help quell any unruly protests and for state and local law enforcement “to do all things necessary to maintain peace and good order.”
“This measure will allow troops to protect state property and dispatch state law enforcement officers to patrol our streets,” Kemp said in a news release Monday. “Enough with the tough talk. We must protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians.”
Kemp’s office added the governor could authorize as many as 1,000 National Guard members under the order. The state of emergency is set to run through next Monday (July 13).
Atlanta authorities said eight-year-old Secoriea Turner was shot and killed when a group of armed people opened fire on the car in which she was riding late Saturday night.
The car was attempting to enter a parking lot across the street from the Wendy’s restaurant that the armed group had blocked off south of downtown Atlanta, according to city police.
A 53-year-old man was killed in a triple shooting next to the Wendy’s Sunday night roughly 24 hours after Turner’s death, according to police.
Kemp called the shootings and property damage part of a “recent trend of lawlessness [that] is outrageous and unacceptable.”
“While we stand ready to assist local leaders in restoring peace and maintaining order, we won’t hesitate to take action without them,” Kemp wrote on Twitter Sunday night.
The Wendy’s has been the site of intense protests following the death of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old man who was shot by an Atlanta police officer on June 12 during an altercation outside the restaurant.
The restaurant was burned down amid protests shortly after Brooks’ killing. Since then, the site has been frequented by armed persons who at times have barricaded the property, according to police.
The governor’s comments come amid weeks of protests locally and across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer who kneeled on his neck on May 25.
Last month, Kemp ordered 3,000 Georgia National Guard troops to mobilize for assisting local and state authorities with crowd control during protests in Atlanta and other Georgia cities.
On Sunday night, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms also decried the shootings and vandalism, labeling the killing of Turner as a “random wild, wild west shoot ‘em up” that tarnishes the aim of peaceful protesters seeking criminal justice reform.
“We’ve got to stop this,” Bottoms said at a news conference Sunday night. “We are doing each other more harm than any police officer on this force.”
Kemp’s state-of-emergency order levelled criticism at Atlanta officials, saying they had “failed to quell” recent acts of violence and property damage in the city.
His order also notes between 60 and 100 people “armed with rocks, spray paint and fireworks” vandalized the Public Safety headquarters early Sunday and tried to set it on fire.
“Criminals are now victimizing Georgians to inflict chaos, cause fear among residents and thwart law enforcement,” the order says. “This ongoing threat to public safety will not be tolerated.”
Other elected officials also lamented Turner’s death and condemned the presence of armed persons involved in protests at the Wendy’s.
Sen. Nikema Williams, who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia, urged an end to the “scourge of gun violence” threatening children.
“We must keep guns out of the hands of bad actors and protect our communities,” said Williams, D-Atlanta.
And U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., touted legislation she introduced last month to withhold federal highway safety funds from state and local governments that move to reduce law enforcement funding.
“The heartbreaking and senseless violence in Atlanta must stop,” said Loeffler.
Coronavirus has sickened tens of thousands and killed thousands more in Georgia. (Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
A mix of relief, fear and uncertainty has cropped up for business leaders and worker advocates in Georgia eyeing new protections for companies and hospitals against coronavirus-related lawsuits.
Liability legislation passed the General Assembly last week to shield Georgia businesses and health-care facilities from lawsuits brought by people who contract coronavirus in all but the worst negligence or recklessness cases.
Gov. Brian Kemp has not yet decided whether to sign the liability protections into law. His office said Thursday the legislation is still under legal review.
If he signs the bill, business groups say the protection measures should lend confidence to a range of Georgia enterprises from mom-and-pop shops to sports stadiums that they will not face crippling litigation due to coronavirus.
But union representatives worry workers will be left in the lurch as thousands of front-line and low-wage employees in the state struggle to keep themselves safe from the virus either in the workplace or the courts.
“We rely on those people for our well-being and for our survival,” said Charlie Flemming, president of the AFL-CIO’s Georgia chapter. “If we’re not going to treat those front-line people with every safety precaution, I think that’s just a misplaced judgment.”
Senate Bill 359 would let Georgia businesses and hospitals waive liability for coronavirus-related claims so long as they post certain warning signs and do not willfully or grossly neglect their patrons or workers.
Those protections would take effect as soon as Kemp signs the bill and would cover anyone who contracts coronavirus until July 14, 2021.
The intent is to give local businesses and health-care workers assurances their actions likely won’t lead to lawsuits as they continue struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic, said state lawmakers supporting the bill.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce backs the bill, noting the liability measures aim to reduce legal risks for businesses still rebounding from the economic slowdown spurred by the virus.
“The Georgia Chamber prioritizes the health and well-being of all Georgians as we support state leadership to safely reopen our economy,” said David Raynor, a spokesman. “COVID-19 threatens not only the health of Georgians but also their livelihood.”
A host of sanitizing and social distancing measures for restaurants, offices and other gathering spots also remain in place under orders by the governor.
Kemp has sought to spur the state’s economic recovery by relaxing closure mandates and certain social distancing requirements put in place since April, even as positive cases of coronavirus and hospitalizations have climbed in recent weeks.
As of Thursday afternoon, about 87,700 people in Georgia had contracted COVID-19. It had killed 2,849 Georgians.
Meanwhile, the liability protections face stern pushback from worker advocates like Flemming and the AFL-CIO, which has 220,000 members in Georgia from a spectrum of industries like food service, airports, building trades, nursing homes and poultry plants.
Arguing safety issues will likely hit low-income workers hardest, Flemming called the bill an example that “once again the state has put profits and corporations ahead of workers.”
Flemming also argued state workers’ compensation laws – which would not be disrupted under the bill – are already too weak for employees to address coronavirus-related problems.
Democratic lawmakers in the General Assembly also condemned the bill in debates over its passage in the final hours of the 2020 legislative session late last month, arguing more safety considerations should be made for workers.
They especially homed in on a decision by the bill writers to make “gross negligence” the minimum threshold for having a COVID-19 damage claim, which attorneys on both sides of the issue acknowledge is a high hurdle to meet – but not impossible.
Republican lawmakers in the state Senate also took issue with that standard, contending it would be too lax to fully protect businesses and hospitals from lawsuits.
Setting the bar at gross negligence marked a compromise between health-care professionals, business leaders and trial attorneys. Critically, it persuaded the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association to support the bill following last-minute negotiations in the session.
Brett Turnbull, a trial attorney with offices in Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala., agreed keeping gross negligence in the bill was key for giving workers some legal options despite his concerns generally with immunity-style COVID-19 liability measures.
“The gross negligence standard is definitely the sweet spot,” Turnbull said. “It can create issues, but I think how it’s written is probably the best way it can be written. Otherwise, every business that opened would be in a predicament.”
Even so, Turnbull said liability protections that include gross negligence could still dissuade workers with legitimate cases from filing claims. Near-immunity from lawsuits might also encourage some businesses to avoid taking all possible steps to keep their premises clean and safe, he said.
“The longer that this pandemic continues to rage in our country, and the more people who are getting sick and dying, balancing that with businesses that recognize they would suffer economic ruin creates a very, very flammable situation,” Turnbull said. “It’s hard to say what people are going to do.”
Gov. Brian Kemp (left) and Georgia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey (right) embarked on a statewide tour to promote mask use on July 1, 2020. (Gov. Kemp official Twitter account)
Gov. Brian Kemp is holding off on ordering a statewide mandate to wear masks in Georgia as positive cases of coronavirus and hospitalizations are on the rise.
The governor embarked on a six-city tour Wednesday morning to urge Georgians to wear masks, wash hands and keep their distance from each other in public.
But so far, Kemp is not following the lead of several other states and the city of Savannah in ordering people to wear masks, saying Georgians should don facial coverings to protect themselves and others regardless of any official requirements.
“We shouldn’t need a mask mandate for people to do the right thing,” Kemp said at a news conference Wednesday.
Meanwhile, doctors at Emory University and its affiliated hospital pressed for more people to wear masks as the virus gains steam, particularly ahead of the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.
They noted hospitalizations have doubled at Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare over the past week as concerns have soared that local health-care facilities in Georgia could be overwhelmed in the near future without better mask use, personal sanitizing and social distancing.
“I think the best way to show compassion is to wear a mask. If I care, I wear a mask,” said Dr. Carlos Del Rio, executive associate dean of the Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 81,000 people had tested positive in Georgia for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. It had killed 2,805 Georgians.
Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the state’s public health commissioner, acknowledged the recent increases in positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as she joined the governor on his “Wear A Mask” tour this week.
She urged Georgians who have tested positive to participate in the state’s contact-tracing efforts amid lackluster interest in some communities for the program, which aims to quickly pinpoint and curb local outbreaks.
“We’re concerned about the upticks,” Toomey said Wednesday. “But we can work together to stop this.”
Kemp also acknowledged the number of hospitalizations – a key marker in assessing the virus’ spread – has crept up in recent weeks following the Memorial Day holiday late last month.
He stressed local hospitals are largely prepared for an influx of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 but that some facilities have sought staffing support from the state.
“Thankfully, [hospitalizations] are not going up exponentially,” Kemp said Wednesday. “It’s worrisome but not alarming at this point. And we don’t want it to get alarming.”
The governor also highlighted a slowdown in deaths caused by the virus, marking an encouraging downward trend that comes even as case counts continue rising.
But Dr. Jonathan Lewin, Emory Healthcare’s chief executive officer, tempered that optimism by cautioning hospitals will likely see deaths go up in the next few weeks as more patients receive treatment.
He also noted hospitals are facing increased numbers of patients who are younger and have slacked off on social distancing measures over the past month.
Lewin, like his Emory colleague Del Rio, urged local leaders Wednesday “to be more forceful” in compelling people to wear masks, highlighting evidence that shows states and cities in the U.S. that require mask-wearing have seen transmission rates decrease.
“From a scientific basis, we feel strongly about that,” Lewin said Wednesday. “If everyone wears a face mask, we can stop the spread of this virus.”
On Wednesday, Savannah became the first major city in Georgia to require that people wear masks in public. Other states including New York, California and Kentucky have also implemented mask mandates.
Kemp said Wednesday he had not talked yet with his legal team about whether to consider overturning Savannah’s mask mandate under his emergency executive powers, which supersede any local rules imposed during the pandemic.
He criticized the outcry from some elected officials and leaders for mask mandates as political distractions.
“The whole mask issue right now, in my opinion, is being over-politicized,” Kemp said. “And that’s not what we should be doing.”
Lewin, of Emory, also dismissed any partisanship involved with masks. He argued universal mask-wearing would bolster both public health and the state’s economic recovery.
“Whatever our elected leaders can do to increase the compliance with masking, whatever our elected leaders can do to decrease the partisanship that’s currently seen around masking, the more likely we are to get through this without seeing more economic damage,” Lewin said.
Coronavirus has sickened tens of thousands and killed thousands more in Georgia. (Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Gov. Brian Kemp moved Monday to extend social distancing rules for businesses and stay-at-home orders for the state’s most vulnerable populations another two weeks amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The governor also plans to extend the state’s public health emergency until Aug. 11, granting him more than a month to continue tapping into broad powers that allow him to issue executive orders.
The extended orders announced Monday ban gatherings of more than 50 people unless there is at least six feet of distance between them and require restaurants, bars and other businesses to keep their establishments routinely sanitized.
Georgians in long-term elderly care facilities and those with chronic health conditions will need to remain sheltered in place through July 15.
The governor also directed state education officials to draw up safe reopening rules for local school districts eyeing ways to resume in-person classes for the upcoming school year.
On Monday, Kemp acknowledged state health officials have seen an increase in positive cases and hospitalizations due to coronavirus in recent days, prompting him to order extensions of current social distancing rules.
“As we continue our fight against COVID-19 in Georgia, it is vital that Georgians continue to heed public health guidance by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly and practicing social distancing,” the governor said late Monday.
“We have made decisions throughout the pandemic to protect the lives – and livelihoods – of all Georgians by relying on data and the advice of public health officials.”
Since then, restaurants, bars and other social hotspots have been allowed to reopen with gradually loosened restrictions on occupancy limits and distancing rules.
The distancing extensions announced Monday come as positive coronavirus cases have ticked up in recent weeks following the Memorial Day holiday period late last month, according to data from the state Department of Public Health.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 79,000 people had tested positive in Georgia for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. The virus had killed 2,784 Georgians.
So far, Kemp has resisted pressure to impose a statewide mask mandate in Georgia as several states including New York, California and Kentucky have recently required residents to wear facial coverings in public.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson has signaled he may place the city under a mask-wearing requirement as positive cases continue climbing.
The governor’s office insisted Monday the number of people dying from coronavirus remains low in Georgia while local outbreaks appear to be clustered in workplace settings, houses of worship and social gatherings.
Kemp is poised to embark on a five-city tour across the state this week to urge Georgians to wear masks and keep their distance from each other ahead of the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend.
The governor’s office also announced bulk shipments of face masks are being sent to local governments and schools in around three dozen counties.
Kemp also plans to hold a conference call Tuesday with school officials on how to distribute 2 million masks to local schools before students return for classes in the coming months.
Additionally, the governor circulated guidance Monday on how city and county governments hit hard by the pandemic can tap into roughly $1.2 billion remaining in federal coronavirus aid.
About $1.8 billion in funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) has already been sent to five metro-Atlanta governments, according to Kemp’s office.
Georgia Senate lawmakers celebrate the end of the 2020 legislative session by tossing ripped-up bills on the chamber floor on June 26, 2020. (Photo by Beau Evans)
Hundreds of bills fell by the wayside as the COVID-19 pandemic rushed into Georgia starting in mid-March. Lawmakers in the General Assembly took a three-month hiatus, then returned earlier this month to pass landmark legislation on hate crimes, a tax on vaping, cuts to standardized tests – and much, much more.
Here’s a roundup of key bills the General Assembly passed before the close of the 2020 legislative session last Friday night:
Criminal Justice
Hate Crimes (H.B. 426) – Creates punishments for hate crimes that include acts of violent intimidation or property damage perpetrated based on a victim’s race, color, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, sex, gender, or whether they have a physical or mental disability.
Police Protections (H.B. 838) – Criminalizes acts of bias-motivated violence and property damage committed based on a person’s occupation as a first responder including police officers, firefighters and medics.
Second Chance (S.B. 288) – Allows ex-offenders with certain first-time misdemeanor and non-violent felony convictions to petition the court to have their criminal records shielded from public view. Convictions for certain domestic and nuisance charges like family violence and stalking, plus other major offenses like sex crimes, drunk driving and child molestation, would not be eligible for records shielding.
Glynn County (S.B. 509) – Puts to voters whether to abolish the Glynn County Police Department and transfer the agency’s assets and functions to the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office.
Courts
Bail Bonds (S.B. 402) – Abolishes so-called “signature” bonds that allow arrested persons to be released on their own recognizance without having to post monetary bail. Certain kinds of non-monetary bail would still be permitted but not for felony charges including murder, rape, drug trafficking, drunk driving or criminal street gang activity.
Sovereign Immunity (H.R. 1023) – Puts to voters whether to give Georgians the ability to sue their state and local governments over laws or policies deemed unconstitutional. Plaintiffs would not be able to collect monetary damages or attorneys’ fees.
Judge Salaries (S.B. 765) – Raises salaries for chief magistrate judges by several thousand dollars per year in Georgia, taking effect in 2022.
Taxes
Marketplace Facilitators (H.B. 276) – Collects sales taxes on online transactions overseen by so-called “marketplace facilitator” companies like Google, Amazon and eBay. (Ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft are exempted from the state sales tax and instead must pay a flat fee of 50 cents per ride.)
Vape Tax (S.B. 375) – Levies a 7% excise tax on vaping products and raises the minimum age to purchase tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21 in Georgia.
Film Credits (H.B. 1037) – Requires all film productions located in Georgia to undergo mandatory audits by the Georgia Department of Revenue or third-party auditors picked by the state agency.
Hurricane Michael (H.B. 105) – Allows Georgia farmers who sustained damage related to Hurricane Michael and are receiving federal disaster aid to take an income tax exemption. (This bill also allows ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft to pay a fee of 50 cents per ride instead of the newly implemented “marketplace facilitators” online sales tax.)
Hemp Licensing (H.B. 847) – Requires licenses to be carried by business owners whose trade involves the cultivation, transportation or selling of hemp products. The licensing requirements also apply for university and research firms focused on hemp.
Lawsuit Liability (S.B. 395) – Shields Georgia businesses and health-care providers against legal liability from persons who contract COVID-19 on their premises from all but the worst negligence cases. Includes provisions for posting COVID-19 warning signs at premise entrances and on event tickets.
Unemployment Benefits (S.B. 408) – Extends unemployment benefits that have been expanded during the coronavirus pandemic since March. The state labor commissioner would have leeway to extend benefits eligibility from 14 weeks to 26 weeks depending on the jobless rate and to set the weekly deductible threshold at between $50 and $300.
PPE Tax Credits (H.B. 846) — Allows businesses manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) in Georgia to be eligible for an additional $1,250 tax credit per job. PPE includes gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, face shields, helmets, goggles and respirators used to shield people from contracting coronavirus.
Education
Standardized Tests (S.B. 367) – Reduces the number of standardized tests required to be administered in Georgia public schools by five and allows state education officials to study whether other tests could be eliminated due to redundancy.
Surprise Billing (H.B. 888) – Curbs the chances for patients to receive unexpectedly high hospital bills by requiring health insurers and health-care providers to settle cost disputes arising from emergency medical procedures performed by out-of-network providers.
Pharmacy Benefit Managers (H.B. 946) – Sets new restrictions on third-party companies that negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmacies to curb price gouging, largely by forcing those companies to stay within 10% of a nationally used price average and offer up full rebates to health plans that are typically given by drugmakers.
Maternal Mortality (H.B. 1114) – Authorizes the state to apply for a federal waiver extending Medicaid coverage to new mothers for up to six months after birth instead of the current limit of two months.
Elderly Care (H.B. 987) – Establishes stricter training and on-site nursing requirements for elderly care facilities in Georgia. Also requires long-term care facilities to report when residents or staff test positive for COVID-19 and to keep a seven-day supply of PPE like masks and hand sanitizer.
Timber Construction (H.B. 777) – Allows buildings constructed of “mass timber” to rise as high as 18 stories instead of the current limit of six floors.
Human Trafficking
“Debbie Vance” Act (S.B. 435) – Allows victims of human trafficking to petition the court to vacate convictions for crimes committed while they were being trafficked.
