Georgia Republican is kicked out of chamber and loses his office for refusing to take COVID-19 test [View all]

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Georgia Republican is kicked out of chamber and loses his office for refusing to take COVID-19 test
Walter Einenkel
Daily Kos Staff
Tuesday January 26, 2021 · 4:09 PM EST


As of the publishing of this story, Georgia has 722,062 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Georgia is passing 12,000 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19, with more than 48,498 Georgians being admitted to the hospital because of the virus. Over 8,000 people have ended up in intensive care units across the Peach State. Like most places throughout the United States, the pandemic is very much not under control. Like many places in the country, the reason for this is bad leadership combined with a federal government response that was terrible from the start. Republican operators promoting bad science and attacking public health and safety measures has also eroded the efficacy of public health departments across the country’s advice.

Joe Ripley of 11 Alive News reports that Republican Rep. David Clark of Buford, Georgia, was escorted out of the state Capitol chambers Tuesday morning for refusing to take a COVID-19 test. This is a part of a set of protocols established by house leadership along with advice from the health department. Ripley, in video after being escorted out, said Clark hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about everything, and then proceeded to make a big deal about everything: "I even told leadership over two weeks ago, and last night, let's not make it a big deal, can we talk about this, I'm not trying to make it an issue, I'm not trying to make it political.” What exactly Clark expected his fellow human beings to do, stuck in a small space with an asshole that frequently doesn’t wear a mask and refuses to take a COVID-19 test, is not clear. Republicans with piss-poor health habits have put various lawmakers health in jeopardy time and time again due to similar selfish stances.

Well, radio news anchor Rahul Bali reports that Clark just lost his office space across the street from the state Capitol. This of course, is a temporary measure, and will be remedied if Clark wants to be a big boy and “participate in safety protocols and not put other members and staff in harm’s way.”

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Speaker Ralston released a statement saying that “the member in question had been advised numerous times about the requirements and had refused to be tested at any point during this session.” It’s not about Clark’s feelings it’s “about preventing the spread of a disease that has killed more than 12,000 Georgians.”

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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/1/26/2012039/-Georgia-Republican-is-kicked-out-of-chamber-and-loses-his-office-for-refusing-to-take-COVID-19-test