Abrams: Gov. Kemp Risks ‘Putting More Lives in Danger’ by Reopening Georgia

Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) said Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) was risking “putting more lives in danger” by reopening the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Abrams said, “I think it’s important to put in context Georgia’s place in the national economy. We’re the eighth largest state in the nation, but we have the 14th highest infection rate and the seventh slowest testing rate. What that means is that these jobs that are reopening, these businesses that are reopening will force front line workers back to the work without having been tested, without having access to a health care system to help them if they are in need.”

She continued, “Georgia refused to expand Medicaid. You have one of the highest rates of closures of hospitals, and we do not have people who have been able to get access to the unemployment benefits that could allow them to take care of themselves while they’re at home. The worry is that by trying to push a false opening of the economy, we risk putting more lives in danger, and there’s nothing about this that makes sense. The mayors of Atlanta, Albany, and Savannah have all questioned the wisdom of doing this, and the fact is the governor didn’t consult with mayors before making this decision.”

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