The Republican governors of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio all announced on Monday that they would begin pulling back the curbs on commerce and social activity aimed at stopping the coronavirus outbreak over the next two weeks, according to a Reuters report. Those states will begin loosening economic restrictions this week in the midst of a still virulent pandemic, providing a live test of whether America’s communities can start to reopen without triggering a surge of COVID-19 that may force them to close again.
Georgia has been the hardest-hit of these states, with 19,000 cases and nearly 800 deaths, including a dense cluster in the state’s southwest region. Amid a national debate over how to fight the virus while mitigating the deep economic toll, these moves are the first to test the borders of resuming “normal” life.
“I see the terrible impact on public health as well as the pocketbook,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said.
