Racing in this unique time. Changednow, life has over the past weeks in our state. Across our country and across the world. Home,ildren are now at many georgians are working remotely. Public gatherings are few and far between. That is for a very good reason. Some Health Care Facilities are ramping up capacity as they see more and more patients and providing critical treatments to those in need. Level are the local working hard to make the right calls at the right time to keep our citizens safe. There are no easy answers. The guidance continues to change as we fight to stop the spread of covid19. We must remain dynamic in response. We have to stay united in the fight and georgians deserve to have the facts to make the right decisions. They need as much information as possible to keep loved ones safe. Yesterday there were 197 cases of covid19. Three confirmed deaths. Today there are 287 cases of covid19 spending 36 counties. Lawrence,des glenn, and other places that had no cases. We are investigating confirmed cases and longterm care facilities, which presents a unique challenge. The department of health, state 508 tests forted covid19 with 113 positive results. State officials have deployed mobile testing sites in georgia and theres more on the way. The commercial labs have conducted over 1300 tests for covid19 with 174 positive results. Due to the volume, some of the commercial tests are taking longer than the standard 48 hours. I am merging those labs to continue in a timely fashion as we go forward. This morning i was encouraged by the news from the white house that Vaccine Development and antiviral therapies are moving along quicker than expected. I applaud the trump administrations leadership in removing unnecessary red tape and rules to deliver Real Solutions for American Families in this crisis. Even with these developments, we must prioritize covid19 for the most vulnerable populations and the people responsible for care and safety. This will conserve medical covers, ande masks, gowns which are becoming difficult to find due to overuse and hoarding. Health officials on the state and National Level urge the publics cooperation. Georges elderly, those with chronic conditions, those who live in longterm care homes and or nursing those serving on the front lines as a health care worker, first staffer, orongterm law enforcement, need those tests. The best way to serve the public is to protect those who are protecting us. Publictly declared a state of emergency. I authorized up to 2000 troops to assist in emergency has needed. Efforts on monday, the General Assembly convened for a special session to ratify a state of emergency. I am grateful to the house and senate for taking swift action so we can deploy all necessary resources to help our fellow georgians and this time of need. We continue to update the approach appropriation chairman on how we plan to use the budget. Unlike other states of emergency, this declaration allows the department of health to direct action in these extraordinary circumstances. We are moving forward using the advice of Health Officials at all levels of government. Supply learned of shortages at specific hospitals. I want you to know we have taken action working with officials to secure more tests and critically needed materials from the national stockpile. We are coordinating delivery to Health Care Facilities in need and we are grateful for all of those who have offered their inventory to help others. Your sacrifice is saving lives. Earlier today the centers for servicesand medicaid issued guidance to the American HealthCare Workforce asking for a delay in elective procedures to conserve supplies and free up staff. The department of Public Health and Emergency Management agency and i urge all Health Facilities to follow this guidance as well. Aeres no doubt without question we will need these resources in the days and weeks ahead. As the number of cases continues to rise, communities across georgia, hospital bed space remains a serious issue for us all. Tote agencies are working determine existing capacity and run the numbers on need. This work is ongoing and we will continue to provide updates as the situation changes. We continue to receive offers from the private sector including Companies Like walmart, the motor speedway, ups, and others, to name a few, to utilize real estate and other resources. We are grateful for that offer. They have almost completed installation of a new patient isolation zone that will be ready for emergency housing units. Is still an asset with in case cases of covid19 have no alternative housing. We have one person there to date. In accordance with the state of emergency that i declared, all elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools closed yesterday, on march 18. That will go through march 31. In many circumstances, Online Learning will continue in the University System and the technique goal College Services technical College Services. On a casebycase basis, School Officials are working to accommodate students that require in person experience to complete their coursework. Many of these individuals are needed on the frontline of this health care fight. I wanted to address something that is true. Misinformation is rampant in times of crisis. I want to thank all of the georgians who alerted my office to scams. We are working hard to keep people apprised of what we discover and i encourage people to discover to rely on official sources for information. If you see something suspicious, or hear about it, let us know. Art of our response includes new hotline for all georgians. On average our team has been dayiving 700800 calls each to share information and connect people with the resources we have available. I would like to give you that number nine. 44422681. 8444422681. Right now we have 209 passengers remaining at the air force base reserve. Officials are making plans to get people home to their states when they can be safely returned. 87 people there at one time. I understand the concerns and fears by people across our great state. Despite all of the unknowns, we are working to prepare for and respond to any scenario. Our top ird is the safety of our citizens in every corner of the state. As we work to keep communities safe, we are mindful of all of our Small Businesses affected by this crisis. They are the lifeblood of local communities and employee millions of hardworking georgians. The stress and strain this pandemic has caused on georgia entrepreneurs and job creators. I am proud to report yesterday the u. S. Small Business Administration processed paperwork to allow Small Business owners to apply for Economic Injury loans. This application is now available online. Ofstop the spread coronavirus, we must follow the guidance we have been receiving from organizations and leaders. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Protect the elderly and chronically ill and get them to stay at home, especially if you are sick. If you are experiencing symptoms consistent with covid19, call your doctor or urgent care clinic. Up at an emergency room or your Doctors Office unannounced. Responsibly,act and help us urge others to follow the recommendations we are giving. Right now i am not mandating business closures, shutting down public events, or forcing people into quarantine. I am leaning on the advice of medical professionals and urging local officials to do what is in their interest and the interest of their communities to keep their communities safe and stop the spread of coronavirus. We are in this fight together and together we will emerge stronger than ever. I would like you to continue to pray for our men and women in law enforcement, first responders, and the Health Care Providers across the state doing everything in their power to keep us out of harms way and saved lives around our state. To all the Business Owners who stepped up to offer assistance, who had to make tough decisions for the greater good, the future may seem uncertain. We stand with you. Im going to run through some questions we have received from the media and at the conclusion i will see if we have any more that have come to us during my remarks. Thoughts about a statewide mandatory quarantine. I do not plan to issue a statewide mandatory quarantine. I continue to call on locals to take the appropriate action for their communities. I have been in touch with Community Leaders and many of the hotspots we have seen around the state asking what they need, if they needed me to act. They are telling me their communities are stepping up, following the guidelines, and advice given them and that is making a difference. They are saying do not do this at this time. Question, would there be a no payment policy for government run utilities to help the population not pay or discount utilities . Some companies have enacted these policies to help disruption due to nonpayment. It depends on that company. When are you going to mandate the shutdown of bars, city shutdownsd like San Francisco to prevent the spread . I do not plan on forcing businesses to close. If the circumstances change, i will take the appropriate action. Georgiansbelieve most are heeding the advice of medical providers. Our decisions will continue to be based on the facts and the expert advice we are getting and Healthcare Providers the department of Public Health. How can we help healthcare workers who have children . For childcarearch on the department of early care and learning website. Qualityrated. Org. I want to commend amy jacobs and her team for this great work they have been doing. Parents can search by location to see what is open nearby or 877allgakids 1 and speak to a childcare expert. Childcare programs are open and over 1100 are closed in georgia. Yesterday we put out a press andase applauding the ymca Metro Atlanta for offering childcare for healthcare workers. This is an amazing thing that has been put together. Is at capacity. We are directing parents for more assistance. The state is now reporting 10 deaths. Which counties are they from . This is another question. There counties are as follows floyd, fulton, and cobb county. Question, many people are upset a state senator was showing symptoms and went to the state capital. Can the governor speak to the decision and what precautions he might be taking . This is a good example of why we need people to follow our advice , follow the advice of medical providers. Stay home if you are sick. If there is any doubt, stay home. Weve had this happen in many places with sick individuals attending funerals, creating one of the hotspots we have in the state. This is a good example that we can learn from. Is thet question, governor suspending the state andificate and give nurses Nurse Practitioners freer rein to respond to the crisis . At this time we are reviewing both of these proposals with our legal team and we will keep the public updated if we decide to move forward. And nurses have tested positive for the virus . Casesnot track positive by profession. To can private lab supply the state for reimbursement . Itsstate lab is conducting own test and companies are acting independently. Mentioned, we are asking to save the tests for the Frontline Health care workers, the elderly, the medically fragile, and other folks that are priority. This is coming from the cdc, so we can test the people on the front lines of keeping a safe in hospitals and medical facilities. I would caution georgians that make suret tested, you are vetting the private side. If you have questions, call the 1800 number for advice on whether you should be tested and if youre going to do that, where that would be available to the private sector. Orders suchte place as curfew or shelterinplace . That is not under consideration at this time. I want to urge georgians to follow the directions we have given. Avoid large gatherings. Practice social distancing. Make sure you stay home if you are sick. Wash your hands and wipe down services. Surfaces. Thenext question, how will new drugs approved by the fda be distributed . We are working closely with our federal counterparts on this. We will keep you updated on plans for distribution when this becomes a reality. Number of businesses in my area are asking the governor do something about tomorrows sales tax deadline. March 20 is the deadline for businesses to pay their february sales tax. Our Economic Impact committee is actively researching this option and many others. There are no plans to delay the payments for tomorrow. My area want to know if the governor has the power to waive rules on alcohol sales coming out of the door. They have a large amount of alcohol they cannot sell with the closure of dining sales and they also need the cash flow. Work withtinuing to the Hospitality Industry to look into this possibility and other things they are trying to work greathelp them in this time of need. That is an industry in our state that has been severely affected by these happenings. Does the governor have a message to houses of worship . While many in atlanta are not meeting, we see a significant number of churches and religious Organizations Holding services. I would urge people to consider moving those services online. We have seen instances around the state where members of congregations have been affected and before they know it, they are spreading it in their local community. I know what a tough call that is. My church has experienced the same. Moving from not electing to do that last sunday, moving to completely online this sunday. Many people have differing opinions on that. Im sympathetic to it. ,here are realworld solutions problems, that have happened out of infected people going to the services and helping spread and creating hotspots. I would ask those religious leaders to pray deeply and consider Holding Services online or delaying those services. Im interested in hearing the latest on the regional test cites the state is working to set up. Are those close to being ready . Yes, they are. They are underway. We will be announcing that as soon as we can. Those facilities are being stood up right now. There was some soft testing that began yesterday to make sure we had the process and procedures down and we will share that information with the public as soon as it becomes available. Message to georgians worried about making ends meet because theyve been laid off for lost hours because of the crisis . Here in georgia we work with the labor commissioner and his department to issue guidance and help people in this difficult time. I know from my call today with and Vice President they are continuing to follow this issue very closely, especially industries that have been adversely affected when you think about the state of georgia, airline, hospitality, the Convention Center businesses, and Small Businesses that have made the tough choice to shut down. Concerned is the governor about the situation in albany . I am very concerned. There were two funerals that have led to multiple cases and possibly four deaths. This could not be more serious. I want to urge Community Leaders and business people, faith leaders, to have a conversation to educate the public to why it is important to do the right thing immediately. Social distancing, stayathome, if you could have attended one of those funeral services, and many other things. Last night i was on the phone with the chairman down there, doing great work to work with the local community to raise awareness. I asked him if there was anything he needed me to do. Action he needed me to take. He mentioned a few things, which we have deployed the department of health resources. We are working on the additional quarantine sites they feel like they will need to be made available. Team already on the ground. We are on top of that situation. We need the communitys help. Do you expect the number of cases to go way up over the next couple of weeks . Absolutely i do. I believe as we said early on when we did not have many results the more we test, the more we will find. We saw that today. That will continue. Working 24 7 on this in our state and comparing that to other states and cities around the country so we can gauge how that situation continues to move and we will do ournd continue to based decisions on that data and the advice of our medical community. How close are we to capacity on icu beds and ventilators . The Coronavirus Task force has taken an inventory on resources to see what we have available now and also to think through the needs in a week, the next two weeks, and potentially further out. We have a great team and theres many people working on that issue. We have great koochgs with the medical community, especially and tals around the state, folksi we have folks looking at procurement. Those that watched the today, passengers that we have been housing at dobbins, leaving hem consider that facility, stood up after they helped us lead with the surge that we are starting to and i believe that we will see in our Metro Atlanta hospitals. Georgians should know that we are going down every nook and cranny that will help spaces to our hospitals and i tell you that our hospitals continue to do and dibly Creative Things there are a lot of people working on this issue. The last question i got and then turnover and see if we have anything else come in about overnor kemp talk the state revenue picture and what he thinks this means for the end of the current year upcoming budget in 2021 . I will tell you that we continue to monitor that. Something that our state economist, jeff dorphman, the our budget director, chairmen, the two chairman england and jack hill from the house and Senate Appropriations committee and people are ther continuing to work on. We realize that this is going to be a very tough environment. Dont know exactly what the federal governments going to do funding. Saster i threw out an issue today to the president and Vice President. There were other governors on that call that weighed in after i did that idea. Ted that i know they have many things being thrown at them right now. We have made and are in the process of making our ongressional delegation aware of that issue. But i know that is something that the president and the vice taking very seriously and theres been great onversations weve had Conference Calls with them weekly or biweekly that are, you lasted, some of them s long as an hour and a half, hour and 45 minutes today. Know today was an hour and 15 minutes. Answered every question from everyone governor that wanted to it. They have a lot on their plate. Theyre hearing from the the local ho like communities are on the frontlines of this battle. And i certainly for one that. Iate but well continue to monitor that very carefully. To see if we going have any other questions that have come in. Ok. Any time we dont have other questions. Im going to turn it over to dr. Kathleen toomey who is the director of the Georgia Department of Public Health in our state. Team, and local communities and folks on the front lines much the health care our emergency responders, enforcement, law people at the National Guard that have been delivering 24 7ies, literally working on this issue, i want to thank he doctor and her team, all those hardworking georgians that are literally deployed all thess our state, supporting local communities. I want to thank her for what turn it ng and i will over to the doctor. Thank you. Thank you, governor. Many questions. Some of them duplicates so i wont repeat the questions but augment some of the answers where appropriate. E had a lot of questions about testing. I think this is a continual question about our testing and doing it, why is it limited. Now newly ht purchased 500 test specimen kits. Tion dr. Toomey this is to be distinguished from the tests done in the lab. A specimen collection it in order to collect the specimen to send it to the lab. The Public Laboratory has over capacity to test over 200 of these specimens but you swab kits to hese o the to secure the specimen. So we have 200 now. 500 now. We will distribute them across state. And in addition to these 500, numbere getting large f test kits as well as testing to be done by a private laboratory to be done at the up kind of i call hem swat sites across the state. I want to talk a little bit about that because there are who can be tested and also how it works. He high capacity sites were selected precisely because there are so areas of the state affected. Ionately bartow and rome area have many, many cases. And as the governor noted, some cases actually emerged ut of Church Services who are particularly were particularly sensitive to this issue because of the way weve in these areas. Testing site,is a not because because of the serve Central Location to both rome, bartow as well as the greater metro area. Hoping well be able o do over 100 specimen collections a day if not more once these are ramped up. Ere hoping that will be done will be set up as early as tomorrow and certainly in progress by next week. He second site we have one of these high capacity sites will be albany. As the governor noted, albany is our areas, hot spots around state. E recognize we have to work very diligently with the hospital there as well as the roader medical community to ensure we have the capacity to follow up individuals at high risk. Limited testing at these hi n highcapacity test sites to the individuals who are most at risk for infection. Elderly, thats over 60 years old, those with chronic and those are ns symptom attic individuals, not who have these conditions who actually have but also health care workers. Health care workers are our responders for us. They are on the front line. They need to make sure we are tolthy and safe and in order provide the care we need. Also, e. M. S. And other first responders, police, fire. These will be our prioritized be seen at all our est sites statewide, not just highcapacity state sites. We have worked with the private hospitals as well as private sector physicians, Community Health centers to get guidelines out and arrange a mechanism to actually have into these sites. Its a simple process to make the referral. Be able to have the capacity statewide to take these referrals for providers and thats because we have been this. By providers to do many, many primary care providers and pediatricians, practitioners, others across the state dont have the offices, ithin their dont have the equipment, dont have these specimen collection testing. O the we want to be able to allow them testing and we will be working in partnership with them. Literally a nse is publicprivate partnership. The Health Care System at nership with providers the local level, hospitals across the state and public across the state. So we have all hands on deck, all of us, whether youre in the private sector, hospital sector, or Public Health. A lot of questions, too, bout why are our tests why have our numbers gone up so dramatically . Art of that, as the governor noted, were doing more testing. Also, its not unexpected. Seeing community transmission. Particularly in some of these areas. T so in some ways, the message were trying to get out to testing is that important. The most important thing the eorgia public can do right now is follow these guidelines, to stay home, dont go out if sick. Honor the social distancing request. Elderly, that they dont have to go out and secure they ies or gem wasselves get themselves exposed. Make sure you protect your yourself. As well as as i said so many times, our response to this epidemic is all of us quire working together, not just to rotect ourselves and our families, but also the whole community. So its going to take this ollective effort of working together to ensure that we can combat this virus. Believe thats most of the other questions i had. Received a question about the quarantine in the georgia senate. D i just want to say that decision was made certainly in consultation with me but also recommendation was not any different than we would make to school, to any other situation where there s the potential for widespread transmission, widespread exposure to this virus. Right thing to do. Were so concerned that we want to stop transmission wherever possible. So this was not done just because they were legislators. Was done because this is what we need to do in every ituation where this kind of exposure may occur. I think that answers most of the questions that i had. Thank you very much. Governor kemp i want to, again, thank everyone for joining us. Want you to know that were going to continue to keep fighting every day. We need your help, as dr. Toomey said. Continue to keep you updated as we have new developments and, please, just the things practice that were asking. Have a great evening. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Isit ncicap. Org] its easy to follow the response to the coronavirus outbreak at cspan. Org coronavirus. The the spread throughout u. S. And the world with interactive maps and charts. Watch briefings and hearings Public Health specialists anyti anytime unfiltered at cspan. Org coronavirus. Television has changed since ago but gan 41 years our mission continues. To provide an unfiltered view of government. Year we brought you primary election coverage, the residential impeachment process, and now the federal response to the coronavirus. You can watch all of cspans Affairs Programming on television, online, or listen on app. Ree radio and be part of the National Conversation through cspans daily washington journal through our social media feed. Span, created by private industry. Americas Television Company as a Public Service and brought to by your television provider. Earlier today, President Trump and members of the white Coronavirus Task force held a News Conference on the response to the pandemic