Atlanta, GA – 2 Chainz has reportedly reopened his Atlanta-based restaurants, while the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts a 140 percent increase in coronavirus deaths in Georgia by August. Gov. Brian Kemp allowed for restaurants to resume their dine-in service on April 27 and, despite initially postponing the reopening, 2 Chainz fully opened both his Escobar Restaurant and Tapas Lounge on Tuesday (May 5).
Bentley Didier, a spokesperson for the Escobar location, informed TMZ that the restaurant will be operating under new health guidelines, such as limiting the number dine-in customers, serving meals in to-go containers and providing masks and gloves upon request. Employees will also sanitize hookahs after each use and implement disposable hoses. Full-on DJ-led dance parties aren’t back in swing yet, but customers can spread out on the back patio and get down to playlists.
As more businesses begin to reopen across the state, experts are using models, like the one from the IHME, to project continued coronavirus cases and the potential need for more hospital beds. The IHME currently predicts almost 5,000 more deaths in Georgia by August, if — The Atlanta Journal-Consitution reports — most people continue to self-isolate.
However, according to smartphone location data, Georgians are already back on the move, with The Washington Post reporting that even out–staters have flocked to the newly opened businesses.