Georgia Governor Allowing Barbershops, Gyms & Other Businesses To Reopen Even As COVID-19 Cases Increase

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Data from the Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed 18,947 cases, as well as 733 deaths, throughout the state.

Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, is allowing some businesses to reopen on Friday, April 24, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues throughout the state.

READ: Health Expert Predicts The Return Of Concerts Post-Coronavirus: "Realistically We’re Talking Fall 2021"

Kemp announced that gyms, hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, and bowling alleys will be able to reopen throughout the state during an afternoon press conference on Monday. He also said that some restaurants and movie theaters can reopen on Monday (April 27) if they follow social distancing guidelines, as well as that the statewide shelter-in-place order will expire on April 30.

"These are tough moments in our state and our nation. I hear the concerns of those that I’m honored to serve," Kemp said. "I am confident that together we will emerge victorious from this war we have been fighting."

Kemp's announcement comes as COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the state. The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed 18,947 cases, 3,550 hospitalizations, and 733 deaths.

In related news, some health experts believe that large gatherings like concert will not be returning until 2021.

"Larger gatherings — conferences, concerts, sporting events — when people say they're going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility," Zeke Emanuel, director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, explained to the New York Times. "I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest."