(GAC) — Governor Brian P. Kemp issued a shelter in place order for the state of Georgia. The order will be effective beginning Friday, April 3rd, at 6:00 PM and expire Monday, April 13th, at 11:59 PM.
GAC staff have advocated for several weeks to ensure that all sectors of Georgia’s agribusiness industry, including farms, manufacturing, fertilizer, seed, ag retail, landscape, turf production, forestry, green industry, food processing, trucking, H-2A workers, animal feed, veterinarians, and others were included as “essential” in any potential order.
As a part of the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force committee for Economic Impact, we supported the adoption of the Critical Infrastructure Sectors and Workforce list provided by the Department of Homeland Security. We were pleased to see Governor Kemp accept the committee’s recommendation and his order referenced the DHS list that clearly outlines agribusiness as essential and able to continue operating with certain heightened safety precautions.
It’s important to note that the Shelter in Place order included specific rules for employers that will remain open during this time. We encourage everyone to read the full text of the order and comply with the outlines put in place so that we can continue to serve the state and nation as an industry as we work through this together.
- View the executive order HERE.
- View the guidance and FAQs for the executive order HERE.
- For a full list of the Department of Homeland Security’s critical infrastructure workforce, please click here.
- We’ve had several requests for GAC Documentation from members for their employees to use as proof of being an “essential worker” while traveling to their place of business. The Governor’s office has advised us that they do not feel a certificate is needed at this time as they are hopeful that a statewide order may help with some of the confusion that has occurred from separate local ordinances. If it becomes evident that this type of certification is needed, we will work with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Governor’s Office to offer a consistent and official certification to our members. Temporarily, a print out of the DHS guidance can be carried to show the employees listing, found here. We are sensitive to the anxiety caused by this uncertainty and will remain active as this situation evolves.
Source: Georgia Agribusiness Council