About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2020)
it3 >ir« Unemployment rate nearing highest levels since Great Depression, insider [3 * fr is:csr:.: 1 r/4Ea it iinn 04 etc <i Friday, April 24,20201 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Cats can catch coronavirus, but they remain no danger to you, says CDC. LIFE, 4A Honestly Local DOL chief: ‘Work together’ to reopen Labor commissioner urges collaboration on restarting businesses, unemployment rules BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler encouraged employ ers and employees “to work together” as some businesses are allowed to reopen Friday, April 24, under new state guidelines. “I would hate to know that an employer would have a blan ket statement that (employees) need to come back to work and not have any consideration (for employees),” he said in a press briefing Thursday, April 23. Employees “may have some health issues, and there are some (unem ployment) rules out there that have to do with an individual and whether they need to continue to stay at home,” Butler added. Businesses that have been basically shuttered under Georgia’s shelter in place, such as barber shops, hair salons and tattoo shops, can reopen with restrictions Friday, Gov. Brian Kemp announced earlier this week. The move has drawn widespread, heavy criticism, including from President Donald Trump, but questions have swirled as to what it means for workers and jobless benefits. One of the key con cerns is whether workers lose benefits if they feel like it’s not safe to return. Employers “don’t have to cut off unemployment, you are not being required to cut off unemployment,” Butler said. “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.” Companies aren’t required to reopen, so workers at businesses that don’t reopen can still draw unemployment, he said. Under the new guidelines, the aters, private social clubs and restaurant dine-in services will be able to operate beginning Mon day, April 27. Bars, nightclubs, amusement park ride operators and live per formance 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 din ing rooms had to close, although they could provide delivery, drive-thru or takeout service. Butler Hall’s jobless rate climbs as claims pile up BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com The Hall County area’s jobless rate climbed to 3.4% in March, compared to 3% at this time last year, as jobless claims piled up because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gainesville finished the month with 99,375 employed residents, 1,576 fewer than in Feb ruary but up by 509 when compared to March 2019, according to a Georgia Department of Labor news release on Thursday, April 23. The number of unemployment claims went up by 1,655% in March, “which directly cor related with the number of temporary layoffs associated with COVID-19,” the release said. When compared to last March, claims were up by about 1,547%. The jobless trend is statewide, with the num ber of initial jobless claims reaching an all-time high, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said April 16. The department said Thursday it has pro cessed nearly 1.1 million claims in the past month, more than the combined total for the previous three years. ■ Please see LABOR, 3A NGHS surge plan includes school faculty BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Northeast Georgia Health Systems could be receiving a welcome boost of support in coming weeks from an unexpected source. NGHS has partnered with the Gainesville City School System to set up a contingency plan that could put GCSS faculty and students into non-clinical roles at hospitals should they expe rience a large surge in COVID-19 patients. “Our hope is that we don’t have to use these folks,” said Jim Marinelli, NGHS director of talent acquisition. “But we certainly appreci ate their support and their willingness, and we want to make sure we’re in a position where if our patient load grows to a point where we need additional support that we have that con tingency plan.” Marinelli got in contact with GCSS after an NGHS meeting discussing the possibility of an overwhelming and sudden increase in COVID- 19 patients. He reached out to Sarah Bell with the GCSS school board, who passed the concept on to Pris cilla Collins, GCSS chief professional services officer. Collins got the word out to all poten tially interested parties, contacting classified staff like paraprofessionals, bus drivers and substitute teachers. Collins said she believed the potential jobs — which would all be paid positions — would be particularly beneficial to ■ Please see PLAN, 3A ‘We’ve got their back’ Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times A group of Northeast Georgia Medical Center staff waves as a line of Gainesville Police officers, Hall County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Georgia State Patrolmen enter the parking lot of the hospital Thursday, April 23, to spread appreciation and cheer to hospital staff. Law enforcement circles NGMC to honor medical professionals BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Law enforcement responded en masse to Northeast Georgia Medi cal Center Thursday, April 23, for a different kind of medical call. Officers of all stripes — repre senting the departments in Gaines ville, Oakwood, Flowery Branch as well as the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol — circled the hospital in a show of support. Sheriff’s Office Lt. Greg Cochran said it was law enforcement’s way to “show some appreciation to what our medical professionals are doing. “I truly think sometimes they’re underrecognized. Sometimes they get forgotten, and we wanted to make sure that they knew that we appreciated them,” Cochran said. Officers put on their lights but held off on sirens to not startle anybody. The parade of officers came in off of Downey Boulevard, circling the entire Northeast Georgia Medi cal Center before exiting on Spring Street. People from the North Tower came out to wave. Officers waved back and shouted their appreciation. “It was a good feeling. It was a good thing just to let them know we’ve got their back just like they have ours,” Cochran said. Top: Gainesville Police officers, Hall County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Georgia State Patrolmen drive through the parking lot of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Thursday, April 23, to spread appreciation and cheer to hospital staff. Above: Northeast Georgia Medical Center staff wave goodbye and cheer following the parade.
