The entire Georgia state legislature has been advised to self-quarantine thanks to a Republican state senator, now tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, who thought he felt good enough to come to work this week, the Hill reports.
State Sen. Brandon Beach (R) said that he received a test on Saturday after experiencing a cough and mild fever, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He said that he felt healthy enough to participate in Monday's special legislative session that was used to give Gov. Brian Kemp (R) new authorities to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
So let’s be clear: He felt bad enough to seek out testing, and was tested, but went to work while awaiting the results. On Wednesday, his test came back positive.
On Wednesday, he disclosed that his test had come back positive, prompting Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) and House Speaker David Ralston (R) to call on all 236 state lawmakers to quarantine themselves through the end of March. The request was also sent to state Senate and House staffers.
As you might suspect, his colleagues in the legislature are livid, particularly since Beach had been “symptomatic,” in proximity to his colleagues, since March 10.
The disclosure that Beach exhibited symptoms dating back as far as March 10 sparked outrage from some lawmakers. State Rep. Scot Turner (R) said in a Facebook post that he was "shaking with rage," saying that the legislator "exposed us all."
Sen. Beach, for his part, has asked Georgia residents to “pray” for him: “I know many Georgians are praying hard as we weather this crisis together, and frankly, I’d ask that they pray for me.”
He also probably should be praying that he has a job to come back to when this is over.
Meanwhile, idiocy in Georgia appears to emanate from the top. Gov. Brian Kemp still refuses to issue an order closing bars and restaurants for in-house dining, even though on Monday, the state legislature (in what may be one of their last official acts this month, on granted him “vast” emergency powers to do just that. His reason, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution? People won’t like it, and just might disobey!
Just as South Carolina becomes the latest state to close restaurant dining rooms in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, the governor of neighboring Georgia, Brian Kemp, has decided that’s not the correct move yet. Why? A fear of rebellion.
The AJC reports that during an interview on radio station Q99.7, Kemp says he “can’t just shut things down” because a perceived overreach of his current emergency powers, provided to him by Georgia lawmakers, would cause people to “rebel and not heed the warnings you give to them.”
This is fairly mind-boggling, until you remember that Kemp is a Republican who probably has gotten all his information about the virus from the happy talk the Trump administration provided for the last month and a half. Oh, and from Fox News. Kemp probably figures that most of his Republican constituency in the Georgia heartland (some cities like Atlanta, thank God, have already closed their bars and restaurants) would simply be flabbergasted at being told they can’t go out and party, party, party.
As for why Kemp has yet to ban public gatherings, he tells Q99.7 he’s looking to the federal government for guidance, while continuing to “do things, based on data and advice from healthcare experts.”
“Looking to the federal government for guidance” hasn’t been an ideal strategy up to this point, when it comes to protecting people in this pandemic.
Twenty states have mandated the closures of bars and restaurant dining rooms thus far; so have several major cities in the states that have yet to do so. Most of the statewide closures can be found in “blue” states.
This Peach State problem is yet another indication of the political disparity characterizing the state-wide responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. But now that Georgia’s entire state legislature is under quarantine, maybe a light bulb will suddenly go on over Kemp’s head.
For the sake of Georgia residents, we better hope so.