About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2020)
LOCA^OP HEADLINES The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Friday, April 24, 2020 3A Jobless rate rising to Depression levels House passes nearly S500B spending package in response to economic crisis MATT ROURKE I Associated Press A person wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks past a shuttered business in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 23. BY DAVID CRARY, REGINA GARCIA CANO AND ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press NEW YORK — Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus, according to new data released Thursday. In response to the deepening economic crisis, the House passed a nearly $500 billion spending package to help buckled businesses and hospitals. More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemploy ment benefits last week, the gov ernment reported. In all, roughly 26 million people — the population of the 10 biggest U.S. cities combined — have now filed for jobless aid in five weeks, an epic collapse that has raised the stakes in the debate over how and when to ease the shutdowns of factories and other businesses. In the hardest-hit corner of the U.S., evidence emerged that per haps 2.7 million New York state residents have been infected by the virus — 10 times the number con firmed by lab tests. A small, preliminary statewide survey of around 3,000 people found that nearly 14% had antibod ies showing they had been infected, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Just in New York City, with a population of 8.6 million, Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said as many as 1 mil lion may have been infected. In Washington, many House lawmakers wore face masks and bandannas — and some sat in the otherwise vacant visitors gallery to stay away from others — as they debated the latest spending pack age. A near-unanimous vote sent it to President Donald Trump in the evening. Anchoring the bill is the admin istration’s $250 billion request to replenish a fund to help small- and medium-size businesses with payroll, rent and other expenses. Trump said the bill “will help small businesses to keep millions of work ers on the payroll.” Abroad, there was mixed news about the epidemic. Some coun tries, including Greece, Bangladesh and Malaysia, announced exten sions of their lockdowns. Vietnam, New Zealand and Croatia were among those moving to end or ease such measures. In Africa, COVID-19 cases surged 43% in the past week to 26,000, according to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures underscored a recent warning from the World Health Organization that the virus could kill more than 300,000 people in Africa and push 30 million into des perate poverty. Brazil’s health ministry con firmed 407 deaths due to the out break in the last 24 hours, a daily high for the country. Huge lines have formed at food banks from El Paso, Texas, to the Paris suburbs, and food shortages are hitting Africa especially hard. At a virtual summit, European Union leaders agreed to set up a massive recovery fund to help rebuild the 27-nation bloc’s ravaged economies. While no figure was put on the plan, officials said 1-1.5 tril lion euros ($1.1-1.6 trillion) would be needed. The coronavirus has killed nearly 190,000 people worldwide, including more than 100,000 in Europe and about 47,000 in the United States, according to a tally compiled by John Hopkins Univer sity from official government fig ures. The true numbers are almost certainly far higher. In the U.S., the economic con sequences of the shutdowns have sparked angry rallies in state capi tals by protesters demanding that businesses reopen, and Trump has expressed impatience over the restrictions. Some governors have begun easing up despite warnings from health authorities that it may be too soon to do so without sparking a second wave of infections. In Geor gia, gyms, hair salons and bowling alleys can reopen Friday. Texas has reopened its state parks. Few Americans count on Trump as a reliable source of information on the outbreak, according to a survey from The Associated Press- NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 23% said they have high levels of trust in what he tells the public, while 21 % said they trust him a moderate amount. On the economic front, few experts foresee a downturn as severe as the Depression, when unemployment remained above 14% from 1931 to 1940, peaking at 25%. But unemployment is con sidered likely to remain elevated well into next year and probably beyond, and will surely top the 10% peak of the 2008-09 recession. Janet Simon, laid off as a waitress at an IHOP restaurant in Miami, said she has just $200 in her name and is getting panic attacks because of uncertainty over how she will care for her three children. Simon, 33, filed for unemployment a month ago, and her application is still listed as “pending.” “I’m doing everything to keep my family safe, my children safe, but everything else around me is falling apart,” Simon said. “But they see it, no matter how much I try to hide my despair.” Corey Williams, 31, was laid off from his warehouse job in Michigan a month ago and saw his rent, insur ance and other bills pile up while he anxiously awaited his unem ployment benefits. That finally happened on Wednesday, and he quickly paid $1,700 in bills. “It was getting pretty tight, pretty tight,” he said. “It was definitely stressful for the last few days.” While the health crisis has eased in places like Italy, Spain and France, experts say it is far from over, and the threat of new out breaks looms large. “The question is not whether there will be a second wave,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, the head of the WHO’s Europe office. “The ques tion is whether we will take into account the biggest lessons so far.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized some German states for moving too briskly in trying to reopen their economies. Germany has been praised for its approach to the pandemic and has a much lower reported death toll than other large European countries. “We’re not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning,” Merkel warned. “It would be a shame if premature hope ultimately punishes us all.” Governments are bearing that risk in mind with the onset of Rama dan, the holy month of daytime fasting, overnight festivities and communal prayer that begins for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims with this week’s new moon. Many Mus lim leaders have closed mosques or banned collective evening prayer to ward off infections. The virus has already disrupted Christianity’s Holy Week, Passover, the Muslim hajj pilgrimage and other major religious events. Authorities in the capital of Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority nation, extended restrictions to cover all of Rama dan. Turkey banned communal eating during the holiday. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan bowed to the country’s cler ics, refusing to close mosques despite doctors’ warnings that such gatherings could further spread the virus in a country with a fragile health care system. Trump’s criticism adds to tough choices in Ga.’s reopening CURTIS COMPTON I Associated Press Chairs are stacked on top of tables, seen through the front windows of Minori’s Italian Ristorante Wednesday, April 22, in Forsyth, Ga. BY JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA — President Donald Trump’s blunt disapproval of Geor gia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to let certain businesses reopen in limited ways is only complicat ing the decisions of many owners, workers and customers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hair stylist Shannon Stafford said Thursday that she was having second thoughts about reopening her Savannah salon Friday as she weighed the clashing messages from the president and fellow Republican Kemp. “Do you want us to remain closed? Do you want us to reopen?” Stafford said Thursday. “Every thing, just the back and forth, it does have me a little uncertain whether to proceed.” Stafford said she planned to open her doors to allow her stylists to return to work if they choose. She also planned to keep appoint ments with three clients who had already booked. “Whether I decide to move for ward with taking some clients, I’m not certain,” she said. With Georgia’s reported coro navirus cases rising near 22,000 and deaths hitting 881 on Thurs day according to the state Depart ment of Public Health, reopening was already mired in unattractive choices. Businesses that have had breaks on rent and loan repayment might find creditors less forgiving if they reopen. Employees might have to report to work or risk los ing unemployment benefits. And customers must decide how much they want to risk for that haircut PLAN ■ Continued from 1A substitutes who have been out of work since schools switched to online learning. “We’ve used some long term substitutes for teachers who might be out on medical leave or something like that, but the day-to-day subs, we haven’t had to use them at all actually since we have closed schools for face-to-face and gone to strictly teleworking.” All jobs given to GCSS fac ulty and students would be non-clinical positions. One of the greatest areas or workout. Experts say increasing testing for infections and tracking down those who have been in contact with infected people are key to preventing a increase in cases as activity expands. Georgia has ranked in the bottom 10 states for testing per capita, but the state reported nearly 7,000 tests from Wednesday to Thursday, the most so far in a day. Kemp is allowing elective medi cal procedures to resume Friday and the close-contact businesses he had ordered closed may reopen, including barber shops, nail salons, gyms, tattoo parlors, bowling alleys and massage therapists. On Mon day, limited in-restaurant dining may resume and movie theaters may reopen. All the businesses are subject to restrictions including separating workers and enhanced sanitation. Kemp has defended the move as measured, but he’s been widely criticized, with Trump saying Wednesday that he told Kemp by phone that “I totally disagree” with the decision. The move is driven in part by economic concerns. Georgia pro cessed another 244,000 unemploy ment claims last week. In the five weeks since the crisis began, 1.1 million Georgians have filed for unemployment — more than one- fifth of the state’s workforce. Joining those hesitant to reopen to the public, Georgia’s Roman Catholic bishops released a letter Thursday saying more than 200 churches statewide will remain closed through May. U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, a fellow Republican, piled onto Kemp on Thursday morning, issuing a state ment and appearing on Fox News to support Trump and criticize the governor. “Leadership is about making decisions and communicating them effectively and I think the governor has caused a lot of confu sion by picking seemingly random businesses to open but leaving the stay at home order in place,” Col lins said in a statement. For Collins, the criticism is personal: Kemp appointed Kelly Loeffler to the U.S. Senate to replace Johnny Isakson instead of him. Now Loeffler and Collins are among 20 candidates jousting in an all-party November elec tion for the remaining two years of the term. Loeffler appeared with Kemp on a conference call Wednesday — minutes before Trump attacked him — support ing the governor’s plan. Thursday found Loeffler riding the fence, saying she wasn’t “going to play politics.” “Both President Trump and Governor Kemp are showing strong leadership during these unprecedented times — and I’m honored to be working with them to reopen our economy based on a measured, data-driven approach,” Loeffler said in a statement. Business owners are trying to sort through the competing imper atives. Jack Ryan is vice president of Peak Fitness Solutions, which owns eight fitness clubs in North Carolina and Georgia. “Our guiding principle has to be taking great care of our staff and our members and keeping them safe,” Ryan said. That doesn’t include opening Friday because “I think that would be irresponsible,” he said. Ryan said officials haven’t pro vided adequate information on what precautions gyms should take. The business is also trying to obtain disinfecting supplies, already running low before it closed in March, plus masks and gloves for staff. The governor’s order has put additional pressure on businesses, Ryan said. Now there’s fear they may lose customers to competitors that do open Friday, he said. With soaring joblessness, Geor gia officials loosened rules on unemployment benefits. Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said workers can now earn up to $300 a week without losing any jobless benefits, up from $55 previously. Butler emphasized workers who are called back to work but don’t want to return may still be able to receive jobless benefits. of need would be hospital entrance screeners responsi ble for screening all patients and visitors entering NGHS facilities. Collins said she’s been attempting to reach bilingual potential appli cants who could effectively communicate with both English-speaking and Span ish-speaking patients. NGHS would also poten tially take on what Marinelli referred to as “material han dlers,” who would transport packages or other supplies where it needs to go. All temporary workers would be fitted with requisite personal protective equip ment, according to Marinelli. NGHS has already been contacted by around 30 inter ested GCSS staff members and students, and about 15 of those have already started orientation to be ready if needed. Marinelli said the contin gency plan is just the latest in a series of community initia tives to support NGHS that have been integral in keeping operations running smoothly throughout the events of the past few weeks. “I think it’s very important, and it has to be a two-way street,” he said. “We exist for the community. We need to give back just as much as or more than what our commu nity is giving us. And we very much see it that way. ” LABOR ■ Continued from 1A “Even if we added 10,000 people today that were trained to answer the phone, we would still not be able to keep up with the volume we’re having right now,” But ler told reporters in a briefing Thursday afternoon. “When you’re talking about this many claims, it is not unreasonable to think that there’s 200,000 trying to call us at any given moment of any given day.” The current jobless rate for Georgia is 4.2 percent and the national rate is 4.4%, according to the labor department’s website. So, Hall County is faring much better, on average, than the rest of the state. “Having a diversified business commu nity helps buffer our local economy from the worst part of an economic downturn,” said Tim Evans, the Greater Hall Cham ber of Commerce’s vice president of eco nomic development. Gainesville-Hall County has a broad base of manufacturing, professional ser vices and health care services. “Some businesses will be more able to adapt and weather this economy more than others,” Evans said. Also, Gainesville-Hall “is fortunate to have a large number of essential busi nesses in manufacturing, food process ing, logistics and some consumer retail and professional services.” Still, “there are business sectors that will feel the brunt of the pandemic, including hospitality, personal services, dine-in restaurants and destination retail centers like shopping and outlet malls,” Evans said. Go to www.legacy.com/obituaries/gainesvilletimes/ to view today’s obituaries.
