Members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus want Gov. Brian Kemp to do more to protect Georgians amid the surge of COVID-19 sweeping across the state.
“The delta variant has led to a third major surge in COVID-19 cases, with seven-day averages outpacing the early months of the pandemic,” said House Minority Leader James Beverly (D-Macon). “Recently, Georgia passed one million COVID-19 cases, and in response, we are asking the governor to take important actions.”
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Caucus members specifically focused on schools, calling for a statewide mask mandate for all schools, including colleges and universities. In a news conference on Monday, Aug. 30, Kemp said he remains opposed to enacting a mask mandate. He said the focus needs to stay on getting more people vaccinated.
“I think our schools, especially in higher education, are doing a great job of incentivizing that, making the vaccine available,” he said. “If people want to wear a mask, wear the mask. If you want to try to protect yourself and protect others from you, I have no issues with that. But also know there’s a lot of people that have been vaccinated that don’t want to wear a mask anymore and to me, we shouldn’t be fighting about these issues.”
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Without a mandate, Rep. Sandra Scott (D-Rex) urged parents and teachers to be proactive to protect students.
“Please, please make sure your kids are wearing a mask that fits when they go to school,” she implored. “Teachers, make sure that your kids are wearing masks throughout the day in your class. The only time they take them off is to eat lunch or drink some water.”
Caucus members also called for a unified, virtual learning infrastructure.
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“These children should not be in school,” said Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) “That’s the bottom line, Until they are able to get the vaccination. We are sending these children into harm’s way and then sending them home to put their families in to harm’s way.”
Rep. Donna McLeod (D-Lawrenceville) said the virus impacts everyone who lives in Georgia.
“This virus is not a political issue,” said McLeod. “It is a disease and it affects all of us regardless of our political status or economic status or our age or the color of our skin. It’s a virus, like measles or mumps or rubella. Once it enters our body, it’s going to harm us.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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