Leadership counts, especially now, as the coronavirus continues its steady attack on our lives, our economy and our beloved Southern way of life.
But Georgians haven’t seen enough effective leadership from Gov. Brian Kemp and his team at this landmark point in our state’s existence.
That must change.
This state’s halting, tepid and overall inadequate tactics to battle coronavirus have yielded a predictable – and deadly – result. That’s to be expected when voices of reason and medical science are not fully heeded, such as the 2,000-plus Georgia medical personnel who signed a letter to Kemp this month pleading for the state to do more to battle the scourge that is COVID-19.
The rising toll of death, suffering and financial damage demands far better of Georgia’s leaders – especially Gov. Kemp.
If we don’t significantly step up our public health efforts soon, Georgia might well continue to report deaths at a rate of more than 100 a day, as happened two days last week, even though not all of the reported deaths happened in a single day.
That death rate is the result of a pattern that’s seen this state set records for COVID-19 fatalities for three weeks and counting.
Even a largely supportive White House is now sharply critical of Georgia’s feeble efforts. That should tell state leaders something.
Georgia’s predicament should be unacceptable to residents of this state, if for no other reason than inaction – or ill-advised action – puts us all at risk.
The rising arc of coronavirus deaths and illness clearly shows the futility of what we’ve done so far. Politely urging the use of face coverings in public or extending executive orders are no longer an effective COVID-fighting tool. Instead, they have filled ICUs and funeral homes alike.
It’s time to start believing the medical workers we routinely trust with our lives. Yes, things really are that bad. Obituaries of the nearly 5,000 Georgians felled by the novel coronavirus plainly and silently make that point.
What can Gov. Kemp do differently?
For starters, he should heed the nearly unanimous advice of public health experts and order that Georgians use protective face coverings when they venture out in public. Wearing a face covering is something most all of us can readily do, and science indicates it can help limit spread of the virus. Given the toll so far, Georgia needs all the help we can give it.
Kemp has repeatedly said that mask mandates are unenforceable. In a narrow, political sense he likely has a point. Even so, he is doing a grave disservice to Georgia’s people. Perhaps even a fatal one.
Requiring public use of face coverings would send a strong signal that all of us should do what we reasonably can to help put COVID’s wrath behind us.
These times demand no less.
After issuing a mask mandate as other governors have done, even in conservative states such as Texas, Kemp should refocus his efforts toward reiterating the importance for Georgians to leave home only when necessary, as in to perform essential work or unavoidable tasks of daily living.
When at all possible, the rest of us should Keep Calm and Stay Home.
All reliable public health evidence reveals that stubbornly doing otherwise will prolong the economic and public misery of this pandemic. Seemingly every unmasked gathering of people seeking to thumb their nose at an invisible, yet very real, virus has resulted, predictably, in spikes of illnesses – and deaths.
To better fight this wily virus, Kemp should go further in dropping his ill-advised prohibition against local governments acting more forcefully than he has been willing to do. His Saturday executive order gave more flexibility to local governments to mandate masks on public property, which is an improvement. But the order requires owner or occupant consent for such rules to apply in private entities. That still seems too-rigid a limit in the fight against a coronavirus that is no respecter of such distinctions.
Let’s face it. In the face of a global pandemic, some of Georgia’s local and county governments have been well ahead of the state in doing what’s feasible to slow the virus’ spread. They’ve shown leadership where the state has not. (To Kemp’s credit, he did drop a politically influenced lawsuit last week against the city of Atlanta, which had mandated face coverings, as more than a dozen other entities have done around Georgia.)
A press release from Kemp’s office last Thursday spoke of protecting both “lives and livelihoods” here.
Yes, supporting Georgia’s economy is important work. It seems clear, though, that Georgia’s current patchwork of inaction has most likely worsened the economic woes and caused unnecessary confusion. Sick workers can’t staff workplaces, or in many cases, earn money to support themselves or their families.
Even the White House gets this point now.
The latest report from President Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force reads that “current mitigation efforts are not having a sufficient impact.” The report urges shuttering close-quarters businesses, such as nightclubs, bars and gyms in Georgia’s highest-risk counties. The task force also recommends further restricting indoor dining at restaurants and capping social gatherings at 10, rather than 50, people.
When an administration that’s consistently showed impatience with preventative shutdowns and has advocated for quickly reopening society says Georgia’s in trouble, Kemp and state officials should listen.
Let’s not forget either that Georgia’s leadership failures – and the state’s flawed decision-making, its inadequate testing and its dangerous attitudes about requiring masks – have also shown up in our school districts.
The globally circulated photos of crowded hallways and relatively few masks worn at North Paulding High School were followed by reports of at least 35 confirmed COVID-19 cases there. In Cherokee County, 59 positive cases of coronavirus infection have been reported, pushing more than 900 students and staff into quarantine.
Districts that attempted in-person school re-openings have been forced to backtrack.
We’ll also mention that Georgia’s vulnerable elderly, whose labor paved the way to the prosperity we enjoy today, have essentially been held prisoner indoors for five months now. They’ve been isolated away from loved ones, because of inadequate testing resources and the selfish flouting of commonsense public health guidance.
We owe them better than that.
The result of our lackadaisical efforts so far has been to produce national headlines that will likely resonate far more loudly than magazine rankings as the nation’s best place to do business.
We should not let our hard work at economic development be battered any further.
To most-quickly put this destructive pandemic behind us, Georgia’s elected leaders need to acknowledge COVID-19′s strength and the damage it has so far wrought.
And they must act far more decisively to begin containing it.
The Editorial Board.
