The Macedonia Baptist Church of Macon lead pastor Eddie Smith Sr. told WGXA News Monday that his church will continue holding its services online, adding that it will remain shut as it is safer. WGXA News informed the pastor that other churches in the Macon area decided its too soon to open their doors, he backed the decision, saying it makes a lot of sense not to, especially with the times being as they are.
Smith said he would wait for a medical expert like Dr. Anthony Fauci to confirm it is safe for churches to open again before he opens his door. A key member of the White House's Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
On Apr. 20, Kemp announced that nonessential businesses including bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, and beauty salons can begin reopening Apr. 24. This decision wasn't supported by President Donald Trump and several other political leaders, with the POTUS describing it as a hasty decision.
While Trump criticized Kemp for rushing to judgment, he said Kemp had to do what he thought was right for his state. During his daily coronavirus press briefing Monday, Kemp spoke about the president's remark for the first time, pointing out that people have been writing about the states' plan to reopening businesses that were forced to shut down due to the pandemic.
Kemp said there are several people writing about Trump's advice insight on Georgia's reopening game plan, noting that his plans coincide with the president. Just like Trump, Kemp said his goal is to protect the lives, as well as the livelihoods of Georgians and the rest of the American people.
Georgia's Department of Public Health website shows the state has 24,447 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 996 deaths, in addition to showing 4,752 coronavirus related hospitalizations as of Apr. 28. Kemp announced Monday that the website will now feature a dashboard monitoring data about the outbreak.
The governor noted that the new coronavirus dashboard will dole out interactive reports that will keep track of new indicators, growth rates, and outcomes of the COVID-19 interventions. Data shown on the dashboard reveals a continuous decline in the number of new cases of the virus since Apr. 20 when the state reported 726 cases. The state had 44 new confirmed cases on Sunday, and the average in new cases has reduced as well, Newsweek reported.