From reopenings to masks, how Georgia Gov. Kemp has handled the coronavirus pandemic

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From reopenings to masks, how Georgia Gov. Kemp has handled the coronavirus pandemic

Since officials announced Georgia's first confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 2, the state has drawn national attention over the coronavirus pandemic. It was one of the first states in the country to begin reopening its economy, and has since joined others in pausing its phased approach amid rising numbers of new cases and hospitalizations.

Most recently, its Republican governor, Brian Kemp, has become engaged in a legal dispute with the mayor of Atlanta over mask mandates, which more states and cities have been issuing as coronavirus cases rise.

As of Monday, Georgia had 145,575 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,176 deaths, according to state data. Hospitalizations have also steadily increased since mid-June. The state reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with 4,689.

Here's a look at some of the key moments in Kemp's handling of the coronavirus pandemic so far.

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Georgia business owners are conflicted as the state reopens hair salons, gyms and bowling alleys

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Georgia business owners are conflicted as the state reopens hair salons, gyms and bowling alleys

(CNN)Hair stylists at Salon Gloss in Woodstock, Georgia, wore masks and gloves on Friday, maintaining distance by using every other work station and keeping a supply of hand sanitizer nearby. Their customers also donned masks and gloves, while another employee disinfected a countertop.

Similar scenes played out across the state Friday, the first day Republican Gov. Brian Kemp allowed gyms, barber shops, hair salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys to reopen their doors, just a few weeks after he issued a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But other businesses remained closed, like Sabrina Watkins’ salon in College Park, an Atlanta suburb. She won’t return to work until she feels safe, she said, even though customers called asking if they could get their hair done Friday.

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A Cut Above the Rest: Fred Bentley Jr's Haircut from the NEW YORK POST→

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“Red Fred” Bentley’s haircut photo as shown on the New York Post website.

A CUT ABOVE THE REST: Local attorney Fred Bentley Jr. never would have guessed that his grooming habits would be front-page news. Yet, there he was.

When Gov. Brian Kemp lifted the closure of barbershops April 24, Bentley, of the firm Bentley, Bentley and (you guessed it) Bentley, said his tresses were long overdue for a shearing. He immediately called Tommy of the famed Tommy's Barber Shop on West Paces Ferry in Buckhead for an appointment.

“It was either a bush hog, pinking shears or a trip to go see Tommy.”

By chance, a photographer for Reuters was covering Georgia’s reopening and snapped a pic of Bentley in the barber chair.

The photograph was picked up by Reuters clients around the globe. Bentley made the front page of the Washington Post and the New York Post. CNN picked up the photo, as did Business Insider, the Epoch Times, Bloomberg, MSNBC and the National Post in Canada. Even the Khaleej Times in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, published the photo. Bentley told Around Town the image of his mane being trimmed even made Spanish television.

The episode brought additional notoriety to his distinguished locks, which account for his nickname “Red Fred.”

Bentley called it his “15 seconds of fame.”

“There are very few times you become the poster child for history. These are crazy times we’re living in.”

Bentley partners congratulate J. Allen Bush

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The partners of the law firm of Bentley, Bentley and Bentley located in Marietta, Georgia, congratulate Jackson Allen Bush, the newest member of The Bentley Law Firm team as Of Counsel Attorney, for passing the American Bar Association Exam and the Georgia Bar Association exam on his first attempt.

Bentley, Bentley & Bentley Law Firm partners R. Randall Bentley, Sr. (left), and Fred D. Bentley, Jr. (center), congratulate J. Allen Bush (right), Of Counsel Attorney.

Bentley, Bentley & Bentley Law Firm partners R. Randall Bentley, Sr. (left), and Fred D. Bentley, Jr. (center), congratulate J. Allen Bush (right), Of Counsel Attorney.

75 Million Dollar Judgment in Breach of Contract Case Awarded to Bentley, Bentley & Bentley client in 2012→

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A Cobb County judge has awarded a $75.4 million judgment to Marietta real estate developer David Pearson in a breach-of-contract dispute with Delta Community Credit Union.

Pearson filed suit in 2010, contending the credit union reneged on a commitment that would have allowed him to borrow up to $30 million to buy deeply discounted  Florida Gulf Coast properties from financial institutions and owners eager to part with them.

Randall Bentley named Chairman of Board of WellStar→

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MARIETTA - Marietta-based WellStar Health System recently selected two Cobb natives as the new chair and vice chair of its board of trustees.

Randall Bentley Sr., of the Marietta-based law firm Bentley, Bentley and Bentley, and attorney for the city of Kennesaw, was appointed to a two-year term as chairman of the board and took over the position July 1. Janie Maddox, retired senior vice president at Post Properties Inc., is the new vice chairwoman.

Distinguished service to Brenau awarded to Fred Bentley→

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Brenau University bestowed its two highest nonacademic honors Thursday night during the President's Club dinner at the Chattahoochee Country Club.

Charles E. "Gus" Whalen and Fred Bentley were chosen through a collaborative decision by the university president and board of trustees.

"Both of these men in different ways share the vision that Brenau is a very special institution, and their support for Brenau has helped create components that set Brenau apart from other colleges and universities," said Brenau president Ed Schrader in news release.

Fred Bentley Awarded 2010 Rhoden Visionary Philanthropist→

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MARIETTA - Fred Bentley Sr. was honored Monday morning by the Cobb Community Foundation with the 2010 James L. Rhoden, Jr. Visionary Philanthropist award.

"All his life, Fred has been a giver," said Ron Francis, who is chairman of the foundation and president of First Landmark Bank.

Bentley, patriarch of the Bentley, Bentley & Bentley law firm in Marietta, founded the Bentley Rare Books Galleries at Kennesaw State University and donated the materials. He is a graduate of Emory Law School and has practiced law in Marietta since 1948.

Fred Bentley, Sr. named to Emory Law’s Distinguished Alumni→

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Emory Law School will honor lawyers, a jurist and a former ambassador with its Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony at 8 p.m., Friday, May 7 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta. Recipients include: Brenda Hill Cole, class of 1977, judge of the State Court of Fulton County, Ga.; Charles T. Lester Jr., class of 1967, partner with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, LLP; Fred D. Bentley Sr., class of 1949, a partner with Bentley, Bentley & Bentley; and Edward Elliott Elson, class of 1959, former U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.

Kennesaw State Announces Bentley Rare Book Museum Opening in April 2017→

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Kennesaw State University’s Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books has announced the Bentley Rare Book Museum, to open on April 22, 2017. The museum will be an evolution of the university’s Bentley Rare Book Gallery, which was established in 1986 as a result of a partnership between senior curator Robert B. Williams and Fred D. Bentley Sr., who donated a large number of 19th- and early 20th-century first editions as the gallery’s foundational collection. This new iteration is aimed to reach out to communities through increased programming, free admission, and rotating exhibitions.