Few new restrictions as Georgia's shelter-at-home order ends

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will allow his statewide shelter-in-place order to expire at midnight Thursday but is extending his emergency powers to June 12 and telling the elderly and medically fragile to stay at home until then.

The first-term Republican governor had already carved sizable loopholes in his order that applied to all 10 million Georgians and signaled it would end when he allowed some businesses to reopen last week and Monday. Social distancing requirements and bans on large gatherings remain in place.

Kemp told The Associated Press in a Thursday interview that he's been pleased with how his effort to reopen some businesses — among the most aggressive in the nation — has gone in the face of a continuing COVID-19 pandemic that has sickened 26,000 people in the state and killed more than 1,100.

"Georgian are smart, they’re entrepreneurs, and they’re innovators, and many of them had figured out how to deal with this in a safe way," Kemp said. “So I’ve been very pleased.”

Last week, Kemp allowed elective medical procedures to resume, and barbers, hair stylists, massage therapists, tattoo artists and bowling alleys to go back to work beginning Friday. Restaurants were allowed to begin serving diners on-site again on Monday. They and other businesses are operating under restrictions meant to retard virus transmission through May 13. But Kemp's moves drew sharp criticism from within the state and nationwide, including multiple public rebukes from President Donald Trump.

“Georgians that don’t feel comfortable getting out — especially if they have these medical conditions — they don’t need to do that,” Kemp said Thursday. “But if people want to, then I believe they ought to have the opportunity to do that. And that’s all I did, was give people that opportunity. ”

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