Georgia businesses hesitant to embrace Kemp's call to reopen

 Gov. Brian Kemp's call to reopen shuttered businesses in Georgia left many business owners wary and confused Tuesday as y considered how to protect mselves and ir customers in a state where coronavirus deaths neared 800 and confirmed infections climbed toward 20,000.

Kemp’s plan to kick-start ecomy is one of most aggressive anunced since President Donald Trump laid out benchmarks for states to start lifting restrictions. But Georgia's testing system has lagged behind much of nation and public health experts warned that moving too quickly could fuel a resurgence in infections.

“It’s concerning. I’m certainly t going to go gym or get a haircut,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University in Atlanta. “I’ll let people make ir own decisions.”

Kemp’s order lets gyms, hair and nail salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors open with restrictions Friday. Restaurants can resume dine-in service Monday, though bars and nightclubs must remain closed.

“ private sector is going to have to convince public that it’s safe to come back into se businesses,” Kemp said Monday.

Georgia has processed more than 900,000 new unemployment claims in last month, a painful record. But many business owners aren't convinced it's time to end lockdown.

“I think most of our customers are t ready to venture out yet,” said Kristin Allin, who, along with her husband, owns Bread & Butterfly restaurant in Atlanta. She said her restaurant will remain closed for w, possibly for ar month or more.

In Savannah, Mark Lebos closed his gym March 11. He reached out to clients Tuesday to tell m his business, Strong Gym, won't be reopening yet. Lebos said reopening would be professional negligence.

“We are t going to be a vector of death and suffering,” he said.

Ronique Holloway plans to wait until May 1 to reopen her Atlanta-area hair salon, where she’s only stylist. She worries that’s still too soon, but said she doesn't have a choice because she needs money to support her daughter.

“You’re staring at somebody right in ir face when you shampoo it. Heaven forbid if you talk,” said Holloway, 48, who plans to wear a mask and gloves.

In rural Terrell County, Karl Gould, 82, said it's time to reopen businesses even though his makes him vulnerable to serious illness.

“Do you want to continue being shut down with a destroyed ecomy forever?” said Gould, a retired engineer. “Sooner or later, you’ve got to suck it up and say, ‘We’re going to reopen and if we have some casualties, we do.’”

Kemp was one of last goverrs on East Coast to anunce a statewide stay-at-home order April 1. Even n, he controversially overruled local officials and allowed beaches, lakes and state parks to remain open — a decision he has characterized as a success, saying re have been few problems.

When salons and cafes reopen in coming days, Kemp says y must enforce social distancing rules, provide workers with protective gear such as masks when available andscreening employees exhibiting potential symptoms.

But experts say widespread testing and ability to trace people exposed to infected patients are critical to resuming business without causing a new wave of sickness.

Georgia is working on those pieces, but isn't re yet, said Dr. Harry J. Heiman, an associate professor of public health at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He said Kemp's decision to reopen businesses without sufficient testing or contact tracing is “premature and it’s irresponsible."

Georgia had administered more than 88,000 tests as of Tuesday, but its per-capita testing rate is in bottom 10 of states.

“In most states, we’re still only testing sickest of sick,” said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “And we’re missing those people who are mildly affected who are going to be ones out and about spreading ir illness.”

Kemp ackwledged Georgia's testing has lagged and anunced initiatives to produce more swabs and employ an app to let clinicians remotely screen people. Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey said state is working to expand its ability to trace contacts of infected people.

Ian Jones, who owns four restaurants in Atlanta area, is concerned Kemp’s order could force people to reopen prematurely because lenders and landlords might stop being forgiving.

“It just seems like it’s too early,” Jones said.

Kemp's reopening plan leaves local officials powerless to take a slower course. Kemp said that's to prevent a “hodgepodge” of local plans.

In mostly rural southwest Georgia, where infections have spread especially fast, Albany Mayor Bo Dorough ted his community had 15 funerals last weekend for COVID-19 victims. On Tuesday, his city and surrounding Dougherty County surpassed 100 total coronavirus deaths — most of any Georgia county.

“I pray that number of Georgians who are infected and die will t increase significantly in coming weeks as a result of lifting of se restrictions,” Dorough said.

Nearby, in small city of Dawson, clothing store owner Dost Mohammad said several of his regular customers died from COVID-19. Keeping his doors shut could quickly put him out of business, he said, but he’s t willing to risk reopening. Without a vaccine or a cure, only medicine is to stay away from each or, he said.

“I would rar survive, I want to stay above ground,” Mohammad said. “Our priority should be protection of our people.”