Vacation rentals in Georgia will be allowed to reopen Friday following weeks of coronavirus-prompted closures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gov. Brian Kemp gave the green light for bed-and-breakfast establishments and online bookings like Airbnb late Monday on the heels of allowing many other types of businesses to reopen<\/a> in recent days, including dine-in restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and barbershops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Twitter Monday night, Kemp said his decision to let short-term rental businesses reopen was \u201cbased on favorable data and stakeholder input.\u201d He said vacationers should still keep their distance from each other if they book a rental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe urge people to continue to follow social distancing and sanitation rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19,\u201d the governor wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kemp and state health officials have touted models and reporting from local hospitals that indicate a slowdown in coronavirus cases and emergency-room visits, though positive cases and deaths traced to the highly infectious virus continue to mount in Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of noon Tuesday, roughly 24,600 people had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. It had killed 1,025 Georgians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kemp has faced criticism since last week<\/a> from public health experts and local elected officials for letting close-contact businesses like restaurants and barbershops reopen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has framed the move as a voluntary relief valve for struggling businesses, giving them the option to reopen if they want<\/a> so that Georgia might avoid prolonged economic damage caused by the closures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The temporary ban on vacation rentals started on April 9, almost a week after the prohibitions on other popular gathering spots took effect. The rental ban applied for stays of 30 days or less but did not include hotels, camping grounds and short-term rentals that were already booked before April 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n