A day after a statewide town hall, Gov. Brian Kemp's administration briefed state lawmakers who had more pressing questions about efforts to speed up testing, order more life-saving equipment and other steps to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The Friday conference call filled in some holes from Thursday's town hall, including offering specificity about the number of ventilators in the state. Homer Bryson, Georgia's top emergency official, said there were roughly 2,400 ventilators and another 1,200 ordered. So far, about 80 have been received.
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Pressed on when Kemp would order stiffer statewide restrictions, his administration highlighted a Fox News report that featured New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggesting that a universal stay-at-home order was "probably not the best public health strategy."
And the governor's top deputies were noncommittal on how the outbreak will affect the state's budget, though House Speaker David Ralston said Friday the shrinking economy could jeopardize a teacher pay raise that Kemp has sought and an income tax cut House Republicans have advocated.
We’ve attached the full outline below. Note that the questions came from top Democratic and Republican legislative leaders.
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