About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2020)
Flowery Branch baseball team cracks top 50 in national poll. SPORTS, 1B £hc mmts THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com No need to panic over hand sanitizer. Learn how to make your own. STAY IN, 8A Honestly Local Trump: It’s ‘wartime’; relief bill passes President taps defense act to fight pandemic; Congress tries to stabilize economy I Inside ■ Two coronavirus deaths bring statewide toll to three, 6A ■ Unemployment claims spike in Georgia, nationally, 5A BY JONATHAN LEMIRE Associated Press WASHINGTON - Describing himself as a “wartime president” fighting an invisible enemy, Presi dent Donald Trump on Wednesday invoked rarely used emergency powers to marshal critical medical supplies against the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also signed an aid package — which the Senate approved earlier Wednesday — that will guarantee sick leave to workers who fall ill. Trump tapped his authority under the 70-year-old Defense Pro duction Act to give the government more power to steer production by private companies and try to over come shortages in masks, ventila tors and other supplies. Yet he seemed to minimize the urgency of the decision, later tweeting that he “only signed the Defense Production Act to combat the Chinese Virus should we need to invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future.” “Hopefully there will be no need,” he added, “but we are all in this TOGETHER!” The mixed messaging came as Trump took a series of other extraordinary steps to steady the nation, its day-to-day life suddenly and fundamentally altered. The Canada-U.S. border, the world’s longest, was effectively closed, save for commerce and essential travel, while the administration pushed its plan to send relief checks to millions of Americans. Trump said he will expand the nation’s diagnostic testing capac ity and deploy a Navy hospital ship to New York City, which is rapidly becoming an epicenter of the pan demic, and another such ship to the West Coast. And the Housing and Urban Development Depart ment will suspend foreclosures and evictions through April to help the growing number of Americans who face losing jobs and missing rent and mortgage payments. But as Trump laid out efforts to help the economy, markets plum meted. Gone were nearly all the ■ Please see BILL, 7A No forced closures on eateries SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Most businesses are open Wednesday, March 18, on the square in downtown Gainesville. Some stores have reduced their hours of operation, however. Local, state governments do not have plans to restrict restaurants BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com While many businesses and restau rants are taking their own precautions to avoid the spread of coronavirus, including expanding pickup and delivery options, local governments and the state do not have plans to impose their own restrictions. In a press conference call Tuesday, March 17, Gov. Brian Kemp praised the efforts of restaurants to adapt to new social distancing recommendations and encouraged people to find a way to sup port businesses. Kemp’s press secretary Cody Hall said Inside ■ A restaurant server discusses the impact coronavirus is having, 9A ■ Stocks continue to tumble amid concerns of recession, 4B Wednesday that the state does not have current plans to restrict hours or mandate closure of businesses and restaurants. Hall County spokeswoman Katie Crum ley said Wednesday the county also did not plan to pass any restrictions. At a Gainesville City Council meeting Tuesday, City Manager Bryan Lackey said the city also did not have plans to restrict restaurants. He said that some may be hesitant to dine in, but there are other ways to get meals from a restaurant. “Go to the website. There may be deliv ery options or pickup options that you can do. I know a lot of them have apps and have websites,” Lackey said. “Even call in, I’m sure they’ll be glad to guide you through the menu there. Please take full advantage of that. A lot of folks in town depend upon that, and I know a lot of folks depend upon restaurants for their meals.” Braselton, Buford, Flowery Branch and Oakwood officials also said closing restaurants hasn’t been considered or discussed. Reporter Jeff Gill contributed. Member of state Senate tests positive Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller, R, Gainesville, announced late Wednesday that the Department of Public Health and the CDC had asked senators to self-quarantine for 14 days after a member tested positive. State Sen. Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican, con firmed he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, sending Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Georgia’s other 55 state sena tors into self-quarantine. Duncan, a Republican, presides over the Senate. The statement also urged anyone who fre quents the Capitol to consider self-quarantine and contacted their doctor if they begin to exhibit symptoms. Two women who died in Dougherty County on Wednesday were ages 42 and 69 and had underlying medical conditions, the Georgia Department of Public Health said. Nate McCullough and AP City, county encourage public to contact offices by phone, email To reduce the spread of coronavirus, local governments are encouraging the public to do business with them online or over the phone if possible. You can visit Hall County’s online payment por tal to see if a payment can be made online. Vehi cle registration and business license renewals can be done online, and so can property tax payments or traffic citation fines. You can also check the county’s online direc tory and call or email to see if your business can be done online or over the phone. Gainesville also has an online payment portal, where people can pay court fees, property taxes, pay a water bill or get a permit. Check Gaines ville’s department directory to find the right con tact and see if your questions can be answered over the phone or email. Water customers are encouraged to call or email first, but if they go to Gainesville Water Resources’ offices at 757 Queen City Parkway, they are asked to go to the drive- thru window before going inside. Megan Reed Inside Flowery Branch will hold City Council meeting online, 5A INSIDE 0 40901 06835 Advice 2B Business 4B Calendar 2A Classified 5B Comics 3B Stay In 8A Lottery 2A Opinion 4A Sports 1B TV/puzzles 2B WEATHER 2A Lake Lanier level: 1,073.09 feet Full pool 1,071. Down 0.27 feet in 24 hours DEATHS 6A Lee Aenchbacher, 97 William Barnett, 72 Samuel Blount, 91 Arthur Burgess, 81 Wayne Farmer, 64 David Gines, 82 Sandra Gualtieri, 70 Frances Jones, 55 Billie Morris, 79 Regina Miller, 52 Margaret Mooney, 80 James Ramey, 72 Eugene Wilson, 63 Residential & commercial roofing services
