US: Pence hails Georgia for 'leading the way' on virus

Vice President Mike Pence on Friday praised Georgia's decision to quickly reopen businesses during the coronavirus outbreak during a visit to the state that included lunch with the governor at an Atlanta café that had resumed dine-in service.

"We just went out to lunch and had a great meal, and we were able to do that because of what the people of Georgia have done," Pence said at a discussion later in the day with restaurant owners and Gov. Brian Kemp.

He said Georgia was "leading the way" in reopening and called Kemp's leadership "clear and courageous and principled."

The words were a marked departure from the criticism Kemp faced from President Donald Trump after Kemp announced in April he planned to allow salons, restaurants, gyms and other businesses to reopen later that month. Georgia was one of the first states to allow businesses to start up again during the pandemic.

Trump initially told Kemp he supported the move, but then said publicly he strongly disagreed with it and wasn't happy with Kemp.

The Republican governor has insisted the move was guided by data and state public health officials, but it ran counter to the advice of many experts, who warned that resuming business too soon risked a fresh spike in infections.

The meeting between Pence and Kemp was held at the headquarters of Waffle House, a popular Southern eatery.

Just before their remarks, the two had lunch and visited with patrons at a Waffle House restaurant. Neither one wore a mask or practiced 6-feet social distancing.

Waffle House resumed dine-in service at the vast majority of its restaurants in Georgia on April 27 — the first day Kemp allowed that. The chain is known for hash brown breakfasts and its ability to stay open in the face of natural disasters.

Georgia has had more than 41,000 confirmed cases of the virus, which has claimed nearly 1,800 lives in the state, according to the state Department of Public Health.