Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Economic Development announced Thursday that more than 10,000 jobs were created across the state during the first quarter of fiscal year 2021.
The 10,000+ jobs reportedly generated more than $3.71 billion in new investments. This represents a 50% increase in new jobs created and an 85% increase in new investments compared to the same quarter in the previous fiscal year.
>>Gov. Kemp joined Atlanta’s Morning News on Thursday to discuss the new jobs numbers and more. Listen to the FULL interview below or download the WSB Radio App to stream the interview.
Kemp stopped short of making more significant changes to state guidelines set to expire this week, rejecting calls to impose new limits on gatherings while also saying he’s not yet ready to scale back broader restrictions that have been in place for months.
On Wednesday, Gov. Kemp extended the state’s coronavirus restrictions an additional two weeks, signing an order that relaxes rules for restaurant and bar employees exposed to the disease.
The new rules, which expire Oct. 15, allow restaurant and bar employees to return to work after 24 hours if they’re confirmed to be symptom-free after they were confirmed or suspected of contracting COVID-19. Previous rules required them to stay away for three days; the new limits adhere to guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Earlier this week, Georgia officials found out they will soon be getting 200,000 rapid COVID-19 tests every week until the end of the year.
Kemp calls what will ultimately end up being 3 million tests a “game-changer.”
The tests are among 150 million being shipped nationwide by the end of the year. Some 50 million will go to communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
Another 18 million will go to nursing homes.
And 1 million will be shipped to historically black colleges and universities.
>>Read more here.