Just this past week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement that his state would slowly start allowing non-essential businesses to begin opening their doors and servicing customers again while the rest of the nation stands timid as tax payers struggle between choosing what is currently worse- the health scare or the economic crisis? While many industries have suffered, very few have been hit as hard as movie theaters, who would jump at the first opportunity to open up especially with the governor’s blessing.
Comicbook.com reports that on April 27th, Kemp plans to “reopen the state’s movie theaters and restaurants… However, many theaters may be unable to open this soon.” They point out in the article that “Georgia will open movie theaters, dine-in restaurants and social clubs with social distancing guidelines still in place.” Kemp commented that “By taking this measured action, we will get Georgians back to work safely, without undermining the progress we all have made in this battle against COVID-19.” While some businesses can reopen sooner, such as “fitness centers and nail salons”, there are no plans for others such as “concert halls, amusement parks, and nightclubs.”
As if the health concerns aren’t scary enough, the battle has turned political, but not just red vs blue, even members of Kemp’s own Republican Party have expressed concerns directly to President Trump about reopening so hastily. Georgia Republican Congressman Doug Collins, according to a report from The Washington Times, expressed his concerns publicly about opening up so soon.
“The president wants the country open. I want the country open. The governor wants the country open. The problem is, how do you do it?” Mr. Collins said. Collins continued to state that depending on the area, “there should have been more local input.”
“It’s made people nervous,” Collins said, “I think clear communication is what has to happen. But when you’re telling people to still stay home but yet we’re going to open certain businesses, that creates a problem in which people are not sure what to do.”
As of now, other states such as Arizona and Texas plan on slowing reopening their state economies up within the next several weeks as long as cases of COVID-19 remain manageable and on the downturn, while other states such as New York, where the most amount of cases globally are currently being reported, have no intention of reopening back up or returning back to any semblance of normalcy any time soon.
