South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham questioned Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp over his decision to allow some businesses to reopen at the end of the week.
Kemp announced on Monday that hair salons, tattoo parlors, and movie theaters could begin reopening on Friday and that restaurants could begin serving guests in-house next week. In a pair of Tuesday tweets about South Carolina’s limited reopening, Graham doubted Kemp’s decision to have businesses in neighboring Georgia reopen while the coronavirus is still spreading.
“I support what South Carolina Governor [Henry McMaster] announced yesterday — a small reopening of our state’s economy with a focus on social distancing,” the Republican senator wrote. “I worry that our friends and neighbors in Georgia are going too fast too soon.”
He continued, “We respect Georgia’s right to determine its own fate, but we are all in this together. What happens in Georgia will impact us in South Carolina.”
We respect Georgia’s right to determine its own fate, but we are all in this together.
What happens in Georgia will impact us in South Carolina.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 21, 2020
McMaster announced on Monday that businesses such as bookstores, sporting goods stores, and floral shops can reopen as long as shoppers are limited to five customers per 1,000 square feet or 20% of posted occupancy limits, whichever is lower.
Georgia has a significantly larger coronavirus outbreak than South Carolina. As of Tuesday, Georgia had nearly 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 802 related deaths, while South Carolina had more 4,439 confirmed cases and 124 related deaths.
