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Vol. 140, No. 41 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - $1.00
Following tradition, staff from the Burke County
Recreation Department have been busy this week
decorating for the holiday season. On Monday
afternoon, the group finished installing the mas
sive Christmas tree at the historic courthouse in
Waynesboro, adorned with bright red and silver
ornaments. Festivities kick off this Friday with
Christmas on Liberty Square, and on Saturday, the
City of Sardis will hold its annual celebration and
tree lighting event.
Tis
Christmas on Liberty
Square is Friday night
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
One of the community’s
most treasured events
continues this Friday evening
with some alterations to make
it COVID-friendly.
The traditional Victorian
stroll of carolers and crafts
for kids are two of the biggest
casualties in this year’s
Christmas on Liberty Square,
followed by the train rides
and cookies with Mrs. Claus,
but now more than ever,
according to event organizer
and DOOR co-chair Lindsey
Beazley Keller, we need to
remember what Christmas is
all about.
“This event is a time to
spend with family, to see old
friends and share a cup of hot
chocolate or a meal at one of
our local restaurants,” Keller
said. “While it may not look
the same, the spirit behind it
is stronger than ever, and we
all need some good cheer.”
Despite the changes and
stricter guidelines in light
of the pandemic, nearly two
dozen vendors will be on site
with everything from chili
fries and boiled peanuts to
handcrafted ornaments, toys
and pens.
Pictures with Santa will be
held in front of the historic
courthouse with social
distanced poses, and a live
nativity by Vineyard Church
of Burke County will be
displayed.
Food vendors on Friday
night will be set up in the Old
Waynesborough alley. First
United Methodist Church
will be serving up hot dogs,
sausage dogs, nachos, chili
fries and drinks; Edmund
Burke Academy’s Alumni
Association will have its
famous boiled peanuts;
Queensborough National
Bank will have bags of
fluffy cotton candy; and the
Waynesboro Exchange Club
will offer specially made Oreo
treats.
Vendors and businesses
selling goods along Liberty
Street include
First National
Bank’s Cookie
Crunch (with
all proceeds
SEE
CHRISTMAS,
10A
County hospital may
get new management
ROY F. CHALKER JR.
rchalker@bellsouth.net
Negotiations are underway
which might result in new
management and a new future
for Burke Medical Center.
This week Burke County
Hospital Authority Chairman
Chris Collins said that the
board is nearing an agreement
with a group with extensive
hospital management
experience to lease and
manage the facility.
Details are still being
worked out, but Collins said
the new agreement should
be in place in the first half of
next year.
Collins stated that, “at our
last meeting, the authority
voted to negotiate a lease
agreement for operations
of the hospital with Burke
Hospital Company, LLC, a
physician led group. The
group's plan is to continue
current services while
expanding patient services and
local access to specialists.”
He added that, “the
authority is optimistic that this
group's plan will contribute to
the long term stability and
delivery of quality medical
care to this community.”
State is getting ready
for vaccine distribution
BEAU EVANS
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia is gearing up to
distribute the first doses
of COVID-19 vaccines to
health-care workers and the
state’s elderly residents in the
coming weeks once federal
officials approve the vaccines
for emergency use.
Gov. Brian Kemp said
Monday he expects health
care workers and nursing
home residents in the state
to start receiving vaccines
in the second or third week
of December, noting several
state agencies have been
preparing to move quickly
on distribution as soon as
the initial vaccine shipments
arrive.
“Obviously, that timeline
could change, but that is
what we’re shooting for
right now,” Kemp said at a
meeting with local nursing
home administrators.
“I’m confident that when
the vaccine is authorized
... that we will be ready to
distribute that,” he added.
Kemp also relaxed
certain red-tape state rules
Monday to allow nurses and
pharmacists to administer
the new COVID-19 vaccines
and to let people receive the
vaccines in their vehicles via
drive-thru services.
Two vaccines from
pharmaceutical companies
Pfizer and Moderna showed
unexpectedly good results in
recent clinical trials and are
now poised for emergency-
use authorization from
the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
The federal government is
leaving it to governors and
other state officials to hash
out plans for distributing
COVID-19 vaccine doses
in their respective states,
with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
giving guidance on which
populations to prioritize like
health-care workers, first
responders, elderly persons
and those with chronic health
conditions.
Between 30 million and 40
million vaccine doses could
be available by January with
emergency federal approval,
said Dr. Carlos del Rio, a
leading Emory University
epidemiologist
who has focused SEE
on the virus VACCINE,
since its onset gA
COVID CORNER
This week, the Georgia Department of Public Health
reported a total of 424,929 cases across the state,
including 8,798 deaths and 35,063 hospitalizations (as of
approximately 3 p.m. on Tuesday). Locally, Burke County
has reached a total of 1,008 confirmed positives, up 23
from last Tuesday. The website also reports a total of 12
deaths and 99 hospitalizations.
•j
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