Prof. Joshua Weitz and research scientist Dr. Stephen Beckett recently published an opinion piece in Slate Magazine discussing Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s decision to lift lockdown restrictions and re-open the state. Citing concerns about the time delay between a person becoming infected and testing positive for the virus, Beckett and Weitz urge Georgia leaders to reconsider.

If decision-makers in the state of Georgia want to use evidence-based criteria to continue to reopen, they must not conflate reporting lags with actual declines to suit preferred narratives. Instead, they must deal with the evidence as it is, and use evidence-based criteria to take the necessary steps to continue to drive down cases.