People in Georgia might cringe when they hear the name of the state park Gov. Brian Kemp chose for coronavirus quarantines.
Kemp, a Republican, announced on Monday that officials were readying Hard Labor Creek State Park in Morgan County to house patients with COVID-19. The state park will be used to isolate those who may have caught the virus and need to be kept away from the public during the strain’s weekslong incubation period.
The park has been set up with seven trailers to house patients in isolation, along with other supplies. Georgia’s Department of Public Safety will provide security once the patients arrive.
“Officials are utilizing an isolated section of Hard Labor Creek State Park where emergency trailers and operations will be separated from the rest of the property,” Kemp’s office said. “To prevent the disruption of ongoing operations, access to this specific part of Hard Labor Creek State Park is strictly limited to official use.”
Most of the patients who will be staying at Hard Labor Creek were travelers on the Grand Princess cruise, including 34 Georgia residents. The patients had been brought to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, to exit the ship and receive their coronavirus test kits.
Hard Labor Creek is home to a golf course and a lake. The true origin of the park’s name is not clear, but the park’s website says the name was either established by “slaves who tilled summer fields” or “American Indians who found the creek difficult to cross.” The park is located 50 miles east of Atlanta.
As of Tuesday night, more than 1,400 passengers disembarked from the Grand Princess to Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
