Gov. Brian Kemp moved Thursday to relax broad social restrictions in Georgia on bars, nightclubs, summer school classes and overnight summer camps in the coming weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kemp also announced he will extend the public health emergency in Georgia through July 12, granting him powers to continue issuing executive orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest pulling back of business restrictions comes amid a bump in positive coronavirus cases in recent days prompting caution from local health experts concerned about people returning too quickly to normal behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a news conference, the governor said \u201cencouraging data\u201d trends in the number of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations convinced him it was time to start slowly reopening more businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe remain encouraged by the numbers that we are seeing in testing, hospitalizations and a wide variety of other data points across the state,\u201d Kemp said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an executive order the governor signed Thursday, bars and nightclubs will be allowed to reopen starting June 1 after nearly two months of closures, so long as establishments meet strict rules. Restrictions include limiting occupancy to 25 patrons or 35% of a building\u2019s occupancy and only serving drinks to seated patrons or in designated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summer school classes will be allowed starting next month if schools can keep students separated in classrooms and routinely sanitize facilities. Overnight summer camps will be permitted starting May 31 under similar sanitizing and social distancing requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Live performance venues will remain closed for the foreseeable future, though Kemp said he is working with businesses owners on a reopening plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kemp also announced businesses like restaurants and other gathering spots will be allowed to have larger groups of up to 25 people if they keep six feet of space between them starting in June. The six-foot rule has applied for several weeks to groups of up to 10 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, the governor is allowing amusement parks, water parks, carnivals and circuses to reopen under several restrictions starting June 12. Sports leagues will also be permitted to hold practices starting June 1 and must abide by guidelines that the leagues themselves have drafted, Kemp said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of 1 p.m. Thursday, more than 45,000 people had tested positive in Georgia for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. The virus had killed 1,962 Georgians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kemp and health officials attributed a bump in positive COVID-19 cases seen on the state Department of Public Health\u2019s website in recent days to a large backlog of old test results the agency received from private labs over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state\u2019s public health commissioner, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, backed Kemp\u2019s decision to ease business restrictions, citing the state\u2019s bolstered testing capacity and the hiring of 800 contact tracers tasked with charting an infected person\u2019s web of physical interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI felt very comfortable \u2026 particularly because the data trends have been staying very, very favorable,\u201d Toomey said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n