“Nobody’s telling anybody to do that. We have purposely set the system up to where (businesses) can bring workers back slowly, and continue to file partial claims for them.”

Butler encouraged employers and employees “to work together” as businesses consider reopening.

“I would hate to know that an employer would have a blanket statement that (employees) need to come back to work and not have any consideration (for employees),” he said.

Employees “may have some health issues, and there are some (unemployment) rules out there that have to do with an individual and whether they need to continue to stay at home,” Butler added.

Workers at businesses that choose not to reopen can still draw unemployment, he said.

Kemp’s easing of restrictions has drawn widespread, heavy criticism, including from President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a daily White House briefing Wednesday evening, Trump said he told Kemp he had misgivings over the governor's plan, but would not stand in his way.

"The people of Georgia ... have been strong, resolute, but at the same time he must do what he thinks is right," Trump said of Kemp, a Republican. "I want him to do what he thinks is right. But I disagree with him on what he's doing. ... But I think (opening) spas and beauty salons and tattoo parlors and barbershops in phase one ... it's just too soon."

Kemp said earlier Wednesday he has been balancing public health and economic concerns in making decisions about reopening.

Although many businesses never closed, the governor has said it was imperative to begin easing his state’s economic suffering by allowing others to resume work. The Georgia Department of Labor said 1.1 million workers — about one-fifth of the state’s workforce — filed for unemployment since the crisis started.

Two administration officials told The Associated Press that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly told Kemp they approved of his aggressive plan before the president bashed it publicly earlier this week. Trump denied that in a tweet as businesses reopened.

“I (or @VP) never gave Governor Brian Kemp an OK on those few businesses outside of the Guidelines. FAKE NEWS! Spas, beauty salons, tattoo parlors, & barber shops should take a little slower path, but I told the Governor to do what is right for the great people of Georgia (& USA)!” the president said in the tweet.

Under the new guidelines, theaters, private social clubs and restaurant dine-in services will be able to operate beginning Monday, April 27.

Bars, nightclubs, amusement park ride operators and live performance venues will remain closed, the governor said.

Kemp’s moves, in effect, relax his shelter in place order, which had been set to end April 30.

That move allowed people to leave home only for essential activities or travel. As part of that order, fitness centers, theaters, salons, bars and nightclubs were required to close. Restaurant dining rooms had to close, although they could provide delivery, drive-thru or takeout service.

“Our No. 1 concern is keeping people healthy and protecting them, but No. 2, there are economic concessions that come along with that, putting so many people out of work,” Kemp said Wednesday. “At some point … that really gets people in a place where they have less concern about their health and wellbeing and more concern about feeding their family and paying their rent, and quite honestly, they just start disregarding what the government is telling them. I feel like we’re getting close to the breaking point in regards to that, which is one reason I’ve been working so hard to methodically move us into a place where we can do that.”

Kemp said he has been consulting with public health officials as the state begins to reopen businesses.

“I think we have the ability to put people back to work very quickly,” he said. “I think parts of our economy are going to continue to take a little while for our public to get comfortable going back to a restaurant or going out to some of the more public-type venues. I support trying to get that started in a methodical way.”

Kemp encouraged people to continue socially distancing and taking precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

“We’ve got to continue to focus on the population that is most vulnerable, and that is those that are in vulnerable neighborhoods, in vulnerable populations that we have seen this virus attack ... and the medically fragile,” he said.

Associated Press contributed.