Georgia Center for Opportunity releases new recommendations on economic reopening in safe manner during COVID-19 crisis

GEORGIA —The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) announced today that it has released a set of recommendations for safely reopening the economy during the COVID-19 crisis. GCO has shared these recommendations with Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration and state legislators.

On Monday, Gov. Kemp announced plans to begin reopening the economy. GCO’s recommendations are based on the conviction that Gov. Kemp’s plan can only be successful if business leaders, employees, and customers innovate and adapt to operations under the new circumstances. The recommendations outline the steps needed to protect workers (many of whom are low-income) while restoring public confidence and safety to ravaged communities.

“While the stories of those directly impacted by the virus are heart-wrenching, there are millions of other stories of people thrust into unemployment and poverty due to the economic shutdown,” said Buzz Brockway, GCO’s Vice President of Public Policy. “This is why we must reopen, but we must do so in a safe and responsible way. In many ways, Georgia is an experiment. We can reopen the right way and demonstrate to the nation what the proper path forward looks like. Our work with local community groups and businesses has made us acutely aware of the impact the economic shutdown is having on already struggling impoverished communities. In a word, it is devastating.”

“While we need to look to Gov. Kemp and the state and local governments for guidance, the ultimate success of reopening the economy rests with each individual Georgian,” Brockway added. “During this time, we must all come together to fight this virus and protect the health—physical, social, and economic—of our communities.”

Recommendations:

https://www.laniercountynewsonline.com/2020/04/24/ga-cntr-oportunn…ning-responsibly/