ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia is nearing 2,000 coronavirus deaths, according to data from the state Department of Public Health.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said on Twitter Friday that the state had received 3 million cloth masks that would soon be distributed to critical workers.
A day earlier, Kemp announced plans to further loosen business restrictions in Georgia. Overnight summer camps will be allowed to begin Sunday. Bars and nightclubs can reopen Monday and amusement parks can let customers in June 12, all with capacity and sanitation restrictions.
Kemp's new executive order comes as the state is seeing an increase in the number of daily confirmed infections after a recent decline.
A seven-day moving average of confirmed cases provided by the health department shows the number of new daily cases in Georgia declining between April 22 and May 9, then beginning to trend back upward.
Georgia has had more than 45,000 confirmed cases of the virus, according to the health department. At least 1,974 people have died.
The death toll across the country has surpassed 100,000.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.