Georgia To Reopen Beaches Despite COVID-19 Pandemic

BYCole Blake5.2K Views
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Georgia Beaches, COVID-19, Coronavirus
Despite coronavirus concerns, Georgia is reopening its beaches after an executive order from the Governor.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has issued an executive order that reopens the state's beaches, in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, sparking backlash.

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"The Governor’s Executive Order suspends the enforcement of any local ordinance or order adopted or issued since March 1, 2020, that relates to COVID-19," Josh Hildebrandt, director of public and governmental affairs for DNR, said in a statement, according to The Hill. "This Executive Order thus lifted any local ordinances or orders that had closed or restricted access to Georgia beaches.

“People who voluntarily leave their shelters to go to our beaches can only do so for the purpose of outdoor exercise,” he continued.

State government still strongly encourages everyone to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Tybee Island mayor Shirley Sessions is vehemently opposed to the Governor's decision and explained why in a public statement.

"As the Pentagon ordered 100,000 body bags to store the corpses of Americans killed by the Coronavirus, Governor Brian Kemp dictated that Georgia beaches must reopen, and declared any decision makers who refused to follow these orders would face prison and/or fines," she wrote. "While the beaches have to reopen under the Governor’s order, Tybee will not have beach access and parking lots will remain closed until further notice. It should also be noted that Tybee currently is not properly staffed with Emergency Medical Services and there are no life guards in place."

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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