ATLANTA (AP) - Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday he plans to extend Georgia's state of emergency for another month as coronavirus deaths and infections continue to climb across the state.
The announcement came as the number of infections from the new virus approached 10,000 in Georgia, with the number of confirmed deaths rising to 362, according to figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health.
Kemp intends to renew the public health emergency through May 13. It had been set to expire next Monday.
"This measure will allow us to continue to deploy resources to communities in need, lend support to frontline medical providers, and keep preparing as we brace for potential patient surge in our healthcare facilities," Kemp said in a news release.
The Republican governor was scheduled to appear at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
State lawmakers last month granted Kemp temporary emergency powers and allowed the governor to renew them without reconvening the full legislature for a vote. Lawmakers had planned for an April 15 special session to consider any extension by Kemp, but House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said that wouldn't happen now. They both issued statements supporting the extension.
Several legislators have tested positive for the virus since they last met.
Wednesday's higher case count was the result of 5,000 more tests, as the state continues to try to ramp up testing capacity.
The highest per-capita concentration of cases continued to be in southwest Georgia. Randolph County, with 82 confirmed cases, reports an infection rate more than 12 times the state average according to Associated Press calculations. Dougherty County, which includes Albany, now has te state's second-highest infection rate, with nearly 1,000 cases in a county with less than 100,000 residents.
Fulton County, the state's most populous county, continues to report the largest number of cases with more than 1,200 overall.
Using his emergency powers, Kemp has closed public schools through the end of the academic year and ordered Georgia residents to shelter at home except under prescribed circumstances such as working essential jobs and grocery shopping. He has prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people and closed businesses including bars and nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters and hair salons. Restaurants can only serve meals for takeout or delivery.
Kemp's latest emergency order also rolled back any emergency restrictions imposed by cities or counties that went beyond the limitations ordered by the governor. Some mayors and county commissioners have vocally criticized Kemp for that step, which reversed the closure of beaches on the coast as well as temporary halts to vacation rentals.
"We hear their concerns, and we are considering new options to help those communities," Kemp spokeswoman Candice Broce said in an email Tuesday.
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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.