[Gov. Brian Kemp , Georgia:] We took measured steps to get to the shelter in place. And now we're taking measured steps to come out of that. This is not a giant leap forward.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] That's Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp defending his decision to reopen barbershops, nail and hair salons, bowling alleys, gyms and massage parlors this Friday. Restaurants and theaters can reopen there on Monday. So, joining us now is Chris Clark. He's the president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Clark, we're really happy to have you here. And I know that you support the governor's decision. But just explain to me, why now? I mean, just in the past 48 hours, Georgia has seen another spike in cases. You all haven't hit your peak of cases yet. So why not push this reopening for a few more weeks?
[Chris Clark, President & Ceo, Georgia Chamber Of Commerce:] Well, Alisyn, thank you for having me on this morning. We appreciate the coverage. I think you have to understand how Georgia businesses have been operating for the last six weeks. We've really had three different categories of businesses. You've had your essential businesses like our UPS, our healthcare systems, our utilities. They've been operating with a dimmer switch and basically following the CDC guidelines. And you've had 13 business sectors, some of which you mentioned, barbershops and others, that have been completely shut down. That's about 20,000 businesses. And then you've had the rest of Georgia businesses that have been able to continue minimum operations if we follow 20 guidelines. And that's worked extremely well with the shelter in place. And so, this order is in my mind a baby step at a marathon, to allow 20,000 businesses to at least start planning. But make no mistake: since April 11th, according to our director of Health and Human Services in Georgia, we have seen a decrease in cases, and our shelter in place is in effect until the end of the month.
[Camerota:] Yes. Well, I just want to I just want to jump in there for a second
[Clark:] Yes, sure.
[Camerota:] because that's different than what Johns Hopkins is looking at. So, Johns Hopkins looks at your state and they count the cases, and they also count the suspected cases of people who showed all the symptoms but weren't able to get a test. And what they show is that two days ago, so on Monday, you had a big spike in cases of more than a thousand cases that day. Just yesterday, 767 cases. And those are going in the wrong direction. So I know that on the website of the Georgia Public Health, the numbers are different. But this looks troubling enough to just rethink it. But let me just move on to this, because I want to hit something else that you said, which is, these businesses that you're talking about, these are high touch businesses hair salons and nail salons, massages. How on earth can you abide by the guidelines of staying six feet away from people when getting a haircut?
[Clark:] Sure. And our department of cosme our Cosmetology Board in Georgia, they've been meeting all night to put together rules and regulations. Listen, this is not a mandate. Not every business has to open. Some won't. But I think you have to understand who those 20,000 businesses are. You know, those are small mom-and-pop, most of them have run out of capital 14 days ago. Many of them are minority and immigrant-owned businesses and most of them are sole proprietors who were not able to
[Camerota:] Yes. And I certainly understand the economic devastation that families are feeling, I mean, all around the country.
[Clark:] That's right.
[Camerota:] For sure, people are desperate to get back to work. But what happens, Mr. Clark, if cases go up? If cases spike after
[Clark:] Sure.
[Camerota:] let's say people go back to work this Friday and then over the next three to four weeks, in Georgia, you see cases spike? What's the plan then?
[Clark:] So, the governor has been very clear that this is a dimmer switch. He can turn it back up if we need to. He's going to extend regulations and protocol and orders. But I also think that businesses around this country have to think long-term. We're never going to go back to a normal for at least the next 18 to 24 months. And so, I think it's incumbent upon every business in this country to make sure that they're taking care of the safety and well-being of their employees and customers because quite frankly if the public doesn't feel comfortable going to get their haircut or flying on a plane, or going into a shop, then the free market is going to take those companies out in the short-term. And so, I really do think we are not just planning for a spike in the next few weeks, we're having to plan for what a spike might look like, as your earlier guest said, maybe this winter. And I think that's part of what we have to do is to preen our process and to take that responsibility to care for our customers and our employees.
[Camerota:] Yes. Well, we're all watching to see what happens over the next few weeks in Georgia. Mr. Chris Clark, president, Georgia Chamber of Commerce we really appreciate all the information.
[Clark:] Thank you, Alisyn. One of baseball's biggest stars is talking about when he thinks it will be safe to play ball again. World Series champion Ryan Zimmerman joins us next.