Amid Omicron Spike, Kemp and Carr Double Down in the Fight – Against Public Health Measures

As the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly in Georgia, Brian Kemp and Chris Carr vowed this week “not to rest in the fight” – not against COVID-19, but against common-sense public health measures that would help curb the spread of the virus. 

On Tuesday, Kemp and Carr filed a lawsuit against the federal government’s mask and vaccine requirement for early childhood education programs – their fourth lawsuit opposing federal public health measures that would curb the spread of COVID-19, keep Georgians safe, and help schools and businesses stay open safely. 

This lawsuit is the latest in Republican state leadership’s “passive, hands-off” approach to the pandemic, for which Kemp continues to receive widespread criticism. But he is not alone in the Republican field – allowing Georgians to sink or swim as Omicron spreads unchecked is a platform that Kemp and challenger David Perdue have in common. Kemp, Carr, and Perdue oppose these basic safety measures to help keep schools open even as Georgia educators have died of COVID-19 at a rate of 1 every day this semester and several schools have been forced to close this week amid new outbreaks. 

“If Brian Kemp spent as much time fighting COVID as he does fighting basic pandemic health measures, Georgians would be safer and have more peace of mind this holiday season,” said Rebecca Galanti, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “It is frankly disqualifying that as Omicron spreads rapidly, Brian Kemp and Chris Carr are focused more on political grandstanding than keeping Georgians safe this Christmas – and David Perdue has admitted he’d be no different. At the ballot box in 2022, Georgia voters will remember that time and again, Kemp, Perdue, and Carr put politics over Georgians’ health, safety, and lives.”

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