Kemp signs new COVID-19 executive orders; some restrictions to roll back

ATLANTA (WALB) - Gov. Brian Kemp signed a slew of new COVID-19 executive orders on Wednesday.

One of the orders, which will go into effect on April 8, will roll back a number of restrictions put in place because of the pandemic.

Once in effect, the order will:

Eliminate the ban on gatherings.
Eliminate shelter-in-place requirements.
Removes the “critical infrastructure distinction and collapses all organization suggested measures into one main list, with a small number of additional industry-specific requirements remaining.”
Reduces any remaining social distance requirements. This includes distance between parties at restaurants, bars and movie theaters, and between patrons at group fitness classes.
Eliminates law enforcement’s ability to close an organization for failure to comply with the executive order provisions.

This order will last through April 30.

Another executive order the governor signed extends Georgia’s public health state of emergency through April 30.

The last order extends current COVID-19 guidance until April 7. This order also allows state agency employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine without using sick or annual leave.

To read the full orders, click here.