Open Letter to Governor Brian Kemp

While you prepare to address Georgians this evening to discuss the Coronavirus, the Department of Public Health reported at noon today a total of 1,525 Coronavirus cases in Georgia and 48 deaths. This was an increase from the 1,387 cases reported at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Since you declared a public health state of emergency for Georgia on March 14th, more than half of all Georgia counties are now reporting Coronavirus cases - just yesterday alone, eight additional counties reported their first case.

While you continue to to urge citizens to take personal responsibility for acting to prevent the spread of the virus - you, as our Governor and source of leadership, continue to fail us miserably in doing your job to ensure that citizens do theirs.

And your failure is costing Georgians their lives.

True leaders make tough choices in tougher times: They step up and meet a crisis head on and take ownership of guiding their citizens safely through it.

This past Monday, Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms did precisely this and responsibly ordered a 14-day stay-at-home order in an effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. She did this despite you urging her not to. She did this Governor because the Mayor is not willing to sacrifice human life for the sake of economics and politics.

Why have you not moved to equally protect citizens across this state? Have you not learned from your stubbornness to close schools earlier this month that the Coronavirus spreads when social distancing is not strictly adhered to? Hospitals in the state are already at full capacity in their ICU's and losing doctors and nurses from the virus.

Both the CDC and World Health Organization are urging people to stay home and not increase the burden on our healthcare services. Yet, you refuse to use your authority to order people to stay home, ensure the slow spread of the virus, ease burdens on our hospitals, and save lives.

Why are you failing the people to whom you took an oath to serve?

Yesterday, you spoke with WRBL and said that you were focusing on "slowing then stopping the spread of the Coronavirus" and that it was up to people to do that.

News flash Governor: The Coronavirus is neither slowing nor stopping in Georgia - it's increasing. And if citizens were capable of self-governing - you wouldn't have a job.

While you were passing the buck to citizens, a fifth Georgia state senator was testing positive for the Coronavirus, the city of Albany became the latest hot spot, golf courses were packed, and people in neighborhoods all across Georgia continued to hang out in groups and at play dates.

As I listened to your interview with WRBL, an ice cream truck pulled into my Alpharetta neighborhood: I watched parents and children standing in line to get ice cream, as their Governor was defending his refusal to order a "shelter in place". I snapped a photo of the ice cream truck and attached it to this letter. It speaks volumes to how useless and dangerous your current rules on slowing this deadly virus truly are.

Why does your plan to protect Georgians and slow the Coronavirus include ice cream trucks cruising through neighborhoods Governor Kemp?

Let's talk lockdown.

You've argued that a lockdown or "shelter in place" is a "hard thing to do" and "unrealistic".

The state of New York did it.

So did Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

In fact, entire countries such as Italy, France, Germany, and Spain initiated lockdowns.

So is it a "hard thing to do" Governor - or is it just too hard for you to do?

I suspect the answer to that depends upon what you value most - human life or political favor. I caution you to reassess your position on that answer Governor - or come next election, the people of Georgia will likely demonstrate in force which one of those you should have chosen.

Experts are clear that the only way to save lives is to slow the spread of the virus.

New York is seeing a positive response to their lockdown, as the number of hospital admissions slows for the first time. You ordering just the elderly and those at high-risk to stay home does not stop the spread of the virus: Everyone is at risk.

Consistency saves lives: Inconsistent, social distancing costs lives.

Your lax social distancing rules are failing Georgians and encouraging people from other states to come here.

People from high-risk areas of the Coronavirus outbreak are now coming to Georgia and they're not self- quarantining. They're recklessly shopping among us, gathering in our neighborhoods, hiking in our parks, and increasing the likelihood of the spread of the Coronavirus to unsuspecting Georgians. They're coming here to escape the restrictions of their home states.

And you are inviting them to do it.

Until you act to protect all people in Georgia with a "shelter in place" - people are going to continue to flood Georgia from their home states, Georgians are going to continue to spread the virus and get infected, and people are going to die.

We are running out of time.

Put your back into this health crisis and evoke the tough, but necessary, order to "stay in place" statewide. Anything less will result in immeasurable loss of life.

If that happens Sir, I assure you the only thing left on the minds of the Georgians who remain, will be that Governor Brian Kemp - did not do his job.

On behalf of the people to whom you serve - DO YOUR JOB GOVERNOR.

#lockdown

#savegeorgians

#wewillvoteyouout