Claim: “Since the reopening of (Georgia), we’ve seen our COVID rate skyrocket by 40%.”
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Access to public information in Georgia
text: 2% of the cases. In terms of annual evaluation, the overall response rate was the worst in 2010-11, while it improved significantly in 2012-13 - as a result of the 2012 parliamentary elections - but started to deteriorate again in 2014. Over time, the rate of provision of the requested information within the deadline established by the law improved significantly, ranging from 22% of 2010 to 75% of 2015. The assessment also found out great variations between public agencies with regard to their compliance with the law: for instance, some ministers recorded a 100% response rate, others provided a complete

title: Economy of Georgia (country)
text: only 3 tariff rates exist instead of previous 16. Currently 86% of tariff lines are duty-free compared to 26% in 2005. Modern Customs Clearance Zones were established and customs clearness procedures could be made starting from 15 minutes only. Modernization of system of licenses and permits resulted in decrease of number of licenses and permits and simplification of related administrative procedures. Privatization of state property – Starting from 2004, provision of transparent privatization policy was one of the important reforms of the Government of Georgia, that was addressed to denationalization of the remained state property in order to attract foreign

title: Mikheil Saakashvili
text: tax evasion. Due to the establishment of a functioning taxation and customs infrastructure, the state budget increased by 300% within three years. The government massively upgraded infrastructure and public services. In particular, water and power infrastructure was improved to the point where it functioned effectively, schools and hospitals were renovated, more roads were laid, and new housing developments were built. As a result, the rate of corruption in the country was drastically reduced and the business environment was improved significantly. The economy began growing and the standard of living rose. Georgia's ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International

title: Stacey Abrams
text: Georgia students and funded a 1% low-interest loan program for students. According to TIME magazine, Abrams "can credibly boast of having single-handedly stopped the largest tax increase in Georgia history." In 2011, Abrams argued that a Republican proposal to cut income taxes while increasing a tax on cable service would lead to net increase in taxes paid by most people. Abrams performed an analysis of the bill, showed that 82% of Georgians would see net tax increases, and then left a copy of the analysis on the desk of every house legislator. Subsequently, the bill failed. As house minority leader,

title: Atlanta Georgia Temple
text: reached a critical mass. The leadership of the church wanted to make “every ordinance performed in the house of the Lord” available to those who sought them, without the previous restraints of distance and the expense of travel. As a direct result of this announcement, between 1999 and 2000, temples were dedicated in every state in the original Atlanta Temple district, except Arkansas and Mississippi. This dramatically decreased the number of out of state visitors to the temple. The First Presidency announced on April 4, 2009, that the temple would close on July 1, 2009, for 15–18 months of renovations.

title: COSI Columbus
text: per week instead of seven. Many of the museum's exhibits were announced to close permanently (though many have re-opened in stages in the years since). Two of the original exhibit areas were closed permanently (called i|o and SimZone, the spaces they formerly occupied are now Gallery 1 and Energy Explorers, respectively). Closures from 2004 that have since been reversed include Space (relocated to Level 1 in 2005, then to the Mezzanine in 2012), the original Gallery 1 (space reused as WOSU@COSI in September 2006), Adventure (re-opened as an additional-charge experience in September 2010), CityView (still off limits to the public;

title: Plug-in electric vehicles in the United States
text: that grants them toll-free access to all Peach Pass controlled high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT) lanes. Georgia Power, the primary utility in Atlanta, offers a time-of-use electric vehicle plan designed for plug-in charging. , the plan has about 1,500 customers statewide. For a monthly fee of , the utility lowers the overnight rate to 1.3 cents per Kilowatt hour (kWh) while raising the peak rate, from 2-7 p.m. from June through September, to 20.3 cents per kWh. There is also a shoulder rate of 6.2 cents per Kwh in between those times. The average U.S. rate is 11.88 cents per kWh.

title: SciTrek
text: June 2001, the State of Georgia, which had provided an annual $175,000 grant to SciTrek, threw in an additional $300,000 to help keep the museum afloat. During August 2002 the following year the Georgia Assembly allocated $425,000 to SciTrek and began a capital campaign to help raise $5 million. In January 2003, the Challenger Learning Center, a $1.7 million simulated space shuttle mission, opened to the public. In December 2003, SciTrek named technology industry executive, Scott Coleman, as president and CEO, replacing Massey, who left to join a lobbying firm. In June 2003, the Georgia Department of Education budget for

title: SciTrek
text: Even after suffering a 24 percent drop-off in visitors between 1993 through 1999, SciTrek decided during the 1999 fiscal year to retire its long-standing debt of $3 million. On December 1, 2000, Lewis A. Massey, former Georgia secretary of state, took over as SciTrek president and chief executive officer. By January 2001, SciTrek's finances were in dire condition, having lost $80,000 to $100,000 a month over the previous six months. The museum had a deficit for the previous three years, reaching $700,000 for fiscal 2000. The board extended a 90-day reprieve for SciTrek instead of closing it down immediately. By

title: History of the University of North Georgia
text: percent acceptance rate to the Medical College of Georgia, compared to the average rate of thirteen percent among other colleges in Georgia. The augmentations made to the natural science departments during the 1980s spilled over into other related areas such as engineering and mathematics. It was in this decade the NGC acquired its first computer lab and a diagnostic and tutorial laboratory. The college gained twenty more computers in 1990s for its new $80,000 language lab in Dunlap Hall. Near the end of Owen's presidency North Georgia College took another step in its scholastic cooperation with Gainesville College. By the

title: Atlanta Georgia Temple
text: Changes as part of the remodeling included making the temple more accessible to those with special needs. Additional windows were added, as well as more art and art glass. Among the new works of art is a mural in the creation room by Linda Curley Christensen. When construction was completed, a public open house was held from April 9 through April 23, 2011. The temple was rededicated on May 1, 2011, by church president Thomas S. Monson. Atlanta Georgia Temple The Atlanta Georgia Temple (formerly the Atlanta Temple) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was

title: Mid-Georgia Cogen
text: Mid-Georgia Cogen Mid-Georgia Cogen is a 308 MW electric combined cycle gas turbine power plant located in Kathleen, Georgia. The plant is primarily used for peaking power. It lies in the southern part of the Warner Robins metropolitan area. The plant was developed by New Jersey headquartered GPU International as a merchant facility in the late 1990s. Prior to operation, a 50% stake was sold to Birmingham, Alabama based energy company Sonat. The plant became operational on June 1, 1998. In 1999, the plant won Power Engineering magazine's Project of the Year award. Through a series of mergers and sales,

title: Cecil Staton
text: Staton led efforts (2014-2015) to create the Georgia Film Academy, to support the workforce needs of Georgia’s burgeoning film and digital entertainment industry. In April 2014, University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby announced the appointment of Staton as interim President of Valdosta State University. During the interim year, Staton led efforts to balance the 2016—2017 budget by reducing expenditures by $4.4 million. He developed a $2 million marketing, branding, and imaging campaign aimed at increasing enrollment—(VSYOU https://vimeo.com/137388587) and established the VSU $1 Million Innovation Fund for proposals leading to an increase in enrollment, credit hour production, and improved graduation

title: Nika Gilauri
text: and improvement of business climate in the country. In Q2 2012 (when Gilauri retired from the PM position) Georgia’s economic growth rate was above +8% and Georgia was Ranked 9th worldwide by the World Bank’s Easy to Do Business Report (up from 112th in 2006). As PM Gilauri also led healthcare reforms resulting in constructing (by private sector) more than 100 new hospitals around the country within two years time; education reforms creating healthy and sustainable competition in secondary as well as tertiary education systems. He also led EU-Georgia FTA agreement negotiations as well as EU – Georgia Association Agreement

title: Avalon (Alpharetta, Georgia)
text: on January 28, 2013, held the topping out for the project on April 23, 2014, and celebrated grand opening with multiple events October 29-November 2, 2014. Alpharetta City Council approved Phase II on October 28, 2014. Phase II opened in April 2017, adding 90,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 550,000 square feet of office space in two buildings, 276 multi-family units, and an Autograph Collection hotel and conference center with 325 rooms and 45,000 square feet of meeting space. As of January, 2015, 98% of the restaurant and retail space has been leased and 89% of the tenants

title: Georgia Archives
text: Georgia Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, announced that the Georgia Archive would close to the public as of Nov. 1, 2012. Reason for the closure was cited as a 3% budget cut ($732,626). Public access to records would be limited to scheduled appointments, with details for said appointments not yet announced. SOS Kemp stated that he regretted the closure and would "fight during this legislative session to have this cut restored." The decision to close the archive to the public was met with backlash from the public, as well as organizations for archivists, librarians, genealogists, and other scholarly groups. A

title: Lekso Aleksishvili
text: Customs Policy and Administration, Economic Deregulation and Liberalization domains. Georgia was ranked by the World Bank “Doing Business” survey as the world’s #1 reformer country in 2005-10. During this period (2004–2007), Georgia improved from 132nd place to 18th in the ranking of “Ease of Doing Business” by the World Bank. As a Minister of Finance, conducted Tax and Customs reforms: reducing number of taxes from 22 to 7 and reducing tax burden from 45% to 27% (to GDP), while increasing tax compliance rate from 13% to 25% (to GDP). And in addition, introduced one of the simplest tax systems in

title: Mikheil Saakashvili
text: improved dramatically from rank 133 in 2004 to 67 in 2008 and further to 51 in 2012, surpassing several EU countries. The World Bank named Georgia as the leading economic reformer in the world, and the country ranked 8th in terms of "ease of doing business"- while most of the country's neighbors are ranked somewhere in the hundreds. The World Bank noted a significant improvement in living conditions in Georgia, reporting that "Georgia's transformation since 2003 has been remarkable. The lights are on, the streets are safe, and public services are corruption free." Doing Business report founder Simeon Djankov has

title: Atlanta
text: $9.5 billion into Georgia's economy in 2017, with Atlanta garnering most of the projects. As a result, by the following year, Atlanta emerged as one of the all time most popular destinations for film production globally. Compared to other American cities, Atlanta's economy in the past had been disproportionately affected by the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent recession, with the city's economy earning a ranking of 68 among 100 American cities in a September 2014 report due to an elevated unemployment rate, declining real income levels, and a depressed housing market. From 2010 to 2011, Atlanta saw a 0.9%

title: The Village at Riverwatch
text: the center — announced that it would be built in the upcoming months and would have a grand opening of 2007. Construction initially started in October 2005. During mid-2006, however, construction came to a halt. Due to a lack of a blueprint for the center, the opening was postponed. In October 2010, it was announced that Costco would be opening a store on the site. On July 25, 2013, Cabelas announced that it would join Costco and open its first Georgia location on the site. On the same day, it was announced that the Georgia Theatre Company would open a