About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2020)
Gainesville Athletics Hall of Fame induction for 2020 in April canceled. SPORTS, 1B SATURDAY, MARCH 21,2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Churches continue to find ways to worship while practicing social distancing. life,2B Honestly Local 3 states lock down 70 million against virus Calif., Ill., N.Y. order residents to shelter in home Inside ■ Gainesville passes COVID-19 resolution, 5A ■ Kemp signs executive order on prescriptions, 5A ■ State issues guidance for Georgians, 7A ■ Corps of Engineers parks close on Lanier, 7A ■ City asks residents to leave garbage on curb, 8A ■ Tax deadline moved to July 15,6B Mobile units operating at Gainesville, Braselton hospitals BY TIM SULLIVAN AND NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press Illinois and New York state joined California on Friday in ordering all residents to stay in their homes unless they have vital reasons to go out, restrict ing the movement of more than 70 million Americans in the most sweeping measures undertaken yet in the U.S. to contain the coronavirus. The states’ governors acted in a bid to fend off the kind of onslaught that has caused the health system in southern Europe to buckle. The lockdowns encom pass the three biggest cities in America — New York, Los Ange les and Chicago — as well as No. 8 San Diego and No. 14 San Francisco. “No, this is not life as usual,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as the death toll in the U.S. topped 200, with at least 35 in his state. “Accept it and realize it and deal with it.” Cuomo said that starting Sun day, all workers in nonessential businesses must stay home as much as possible, and gatherings of any size will be banned in the state of over 19 million people. ■ Please see C0VID-19,5A Field units treating potential coronavirus patients became operational Friday, March 20, at Northeast Georgia Medical Cen ter Gainesville and Northeast Georgia Medical Center Brasel ton. The plan is to use them for those presenting with respira tory conditions in order to pre vent exposure of other patients and staff, said Mohak Dave, chief of emergency medicine, at a press conference Thursday, March 19. “Higher acuity patients will still be triaged and cared for in the appropriate setting,” he said. The Northeast Georgia Health System must adapt to changing conditions, which means how they use the space may change, Dave said. The units will add capacity of 13 spaces at each hospital. That’s in addition to 84 beds and 15 hallway spaces at the Gainesville hospital and 21 beds and 10 to 12 hallway spaces at Braselton, according to Angela Gary, executive director of trauma and emergency services. Jeff Gill Call before you enter SCOTT ROGERS I The Times A Good News Clinics staff member sits outside the clinic Friday, March 20, to check the temperature of anyone going inside. Local clinics enforce coronavirus screenings before treatment BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Even amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Good News Clinics strives to remain steady for its patients. Liz Cotes, executive director of the nonprofit, said Good News, which spe cifically serves those without health insurance, has been managing people’s chronic diseases for nearly 30 years. The clinics operate through donations and with a roster of doctors who provide voluntary services. “Right now, in this time of instability, the clinics are continuing to carry out that mission with faith, hope, and love to our patients,” Coates said. “We are keep ing our over 3,500 patients well and out of the hospital for those who truly need emergency care or a bed in which to recover from illness or surgery.” To protect patients with chronic con ditions, Coates said the organization has asked those with a fever to call before coming in. “Most of what we’re doing is screening people by the phone to remove the unnec essary visits,” she said. Before people enter Good News in Gainesville, they’re met by staff who ask about their symptoms. All sched uled patients with a fever, sore throat or cough, will be ushered into a sick tent, which sits in the facility’s courtyard. “For now, we don’t have access to test ing,” Coates said. “Our big protocol is that we’re trying to make sure we have a sepa rate area for the sick.” If a patient meets the symptoms of COVID-19, Coates said Good News staff can make a referral through the Georgia Department of Public Health for testing. To comply with social distancing, the nonprofit has implemented telemedicine to ensure routine visits and refills are made. Longstreet Clinic in Gainesville has also launched protocols for its patients, including screening people before they visit. These guidelines can be found at longstreetclinic.com. The clinic asks those who have a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater, cough, short ness of breath and/or a sore throat, to call its office at 770-718-1122 or message their provider via MyChart. People are also asked to call before ■ Please see CLINICS, 7A Amazon planning plant in South Hall BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Amazon is coming to Hall County. The company will occupy new buildings at Lanier Logistics Center, which is at 5000 Lanier Islands Parkway in Buford, according to a press release from developer IDI Logistics. The press release cites an Atlanta Business Chronicle article. The vast online retailer plans to occupy more than 1 million square feet at the 112-acre site near the Gwinnett County line for a new logis tics operation, the article says. The project includes one 815,000-square-foot building and a 300,000-square-foot building. ■ Please see AMAZON, 7A Hall County Government Center closes to reduce coronavirus The Hall County Government Center is closed to the public through Friday, April 3, in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Hall County Board of Commissioners work session scheduled for Monday, March 23, and the voting meeting scheduled for Thurs day, March 26, have been canceled. “As we continue to learn about the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are constantly re-evaluating our practices and procedures to ensure they are in step with the White House and Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines,” Hall County Administrator Jock Connell said in a statement. “The first priority of the Hall County Board of Commissioners is the safety of our employees, visitors and citizens.” A limited number of employees will still report to the government center each day to provide basic and essential services. Those employees will be required to practice social ■ Please see CLOSURE, 5A INSIDE Business 6B Lottery 2A Classified 7B Opinion 4A Comics 5B Sports 1B Life 2B TV/puzzles 4B 0 40901 06835 8 WEATHER 2A DEATHS 6A High Low 73 50 Lake Lanier level: 1,072.54 feet Full pool 1,071. Down 0.27 feet in 24 hours Samuel Blount, 91 Mary Chapman, 90 Steve Gurr, 78 Betty Jo Hall, 78 Hazel Marcus, 84 Daniel Morton Jr., 93 Linda Peck, 64 David Shumake, 68 Emmett Stephenson, 76 “Keith” Edwin Tumlin, 45 HOLD YOUR TICKET NEW DATE 7/10 Stines JULY 10, 2020 7:30 PM The Venue at Friendship Springs
