Gov. Kemp encourages Georgians to follow health guidelines this Labor Day

ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp says the health and well-being of the state rests with Georgians as they observe the holiday weekend.

The governor and First Lady Marty Kemp went on a fly-around tour of the state Friday to encourage people to wash their hands, wear masks, practice social distancing and adhere to public health guidance this Labor Day.

"People forget that we are battling an invisible enemy and unfortunately, some let their guard down during these times," said Gov. Kemp. "We have come too far and sacrificed too much to turn back now."

The governor took off from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport shortly after 8:00 a.m. and made stops in Valdosta, Savannah, and Augusta.

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Kemp did a similar fly around ahead of the Independence Day holiday, but the state still saw a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the days that followed. State officials have attributed that to large holiday gatherings, though the governor said he thinks things will be different this time.

"People didn't realize what was happening, that we were fixing to see an increase and really after July 4th is when the worst one came. And our numbers were fairly good at the time and I think people felt like we made it through the first wave. We didn't have a lot of people in the hospital and we were just kind of over the hump. But after going through what we've been through the last four to six weeks, people realize this can happen again," said Kemp.

The governor reminded Georgians that his large gathering ban and the shelter-in-place order for the medically fragile remain in effect.

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