This week, Georgia governor Brian Kemp announced plans to re-open his state from the Coronavirus lockdown. Despite vocal concerns from scientists and epidemiologists that the move is too soon, the state will open gyms, massage parlors, nail salons, and bowling alleys on Friday. The following Monday, restaurants and movie theaters will reopen.
So what will that look like? We mapped it out. The following map includes a map of Georgia's largest gym, restaurant, movie, and massage chains, just to get an idea of the state's density.
Not surprisingly, the re-openings will put urban areas like Atlanta and Savannah most at risk, where downtown areas and entertainment districts include multiple gyms, theaters, and restaurants in close proximity to one another. Residents will need to ensure their own safety through wearing masks, observing social distancing guidelines and general hygeine - and the Southeast US may become an overnight barometer for how sensible it is to re-open the US economy.
The map above, which contains just around 2,800 of the businesses likely to re-open, shows the higest density in Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs, by far.
City |
Locations |
---|---|
Atlanta |
206 |
Marietta |
88 |
Alpharetta |
53 |
Lawrenceville |
53 |
Decatur |
49 |
Columbus |
49 |
Savannah |
45 |
Cumming |
44 |
Augusta |
43 |
Macon |
42 |
As far as businesses that will open— keeping in mind that this map is not representative of smaller chains and single businesses — gyms like Tivity Health's ($TVTY) Silver Sneakers and Prime Fitness are the most numerous, followed by restaurants chains like Waffle House ($PRIVATE:WAFFLEHOUSE) and Chick-fil-A ($PRIVATE:PRIV_CHICKFILA).
Entity Name |
Locations in Georgia |
---|---|
Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness |
694 |
Prime Fitness |
589 |
Waffle House |
440 |
Chick-fil-A |
245 |
Taco Bell |
245 |
Anytime Fitness |
111 |
Moe's Southwest Grill |
89 |
Planet Fitness |
68 |
Applebee's |
67 |
LA Fitness |
40 |
Massage Envy |
37 |
AAMCO |
27 |
Snap Fitness |
24 |
Taco Mac (Order Online) |
23 |
Del Taco |
22 |
Regal Movies |
19 |
Gymboree |
19 |
Gold's Gym |
12 |
Crunch Fitness |
6 |
Ideal Image Laser Hair Removal |
6 |
Governor Kemp admitted that re-openings will likely lead to more infections, but believes the state will have things under control in due time.
"We're probably going to have to see our cases continue to go up, but we're a lot better prepared for that now than we were over a month ago," he said, citing the fact that Georgia had enough hospital beds, test facilities and information to keep things from getting out of hand.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
Further Reading:
- A graph of how memberships are plummeting at Australian gym chain Viva Leisure
- Facebook users flock to follow Waffle House as it announces rare closings
- Movie theaters face a murky future, but do audiences care?