About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2020)
Save up to $176 COUPONS INSIDE Region 6-7A football expected to be a challenge for Gainesville High against Forsyth schools, sports, 12B UFOs in Hall County? Locals recount alleged sightings. LIFE, 8B Lula residents could soon purchase alcohol on Sundays. OUR REGION, 1B Weekend Edition - AUGUST 1-2,2020 | $2.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Honestly Local Area hospitals ‘essentially full’ Hospital chief: Tast time for our communities to get serious’ about stopping spread BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Editor’s note: A previous version of this article appeared in an edi tion of our E-Paper. This updated version is being included here for those who do not access articles online. Setting recent records for the number of COVID-19 patients, Northeast Georgia Health System’s Gainesville and Braselton hospitals “have been essentially full for the last two weeks,” the Gainesville hospital’s chief of medical staff said this week. “Our employees and physicians continue to bring their best every day to care for community, but our resources have been stretched to their limits,” Dr. Clifton Hastings said. According to data from the health system, as of Friday, July 31, the Gainesville hospital had a capacity of 557 beds, including 112 in the ICU. The total number of occupied beds was 543, including 101 in ICU. The hospital had 107 COVID-19 patients. And the Braselton hospital had a capacity of 167 beds, including 24 in the ICU. The total number of occupied beds was 150, includ ing 21 in ICU. The hospital had 45 COVID-19 patients. “We’ve expanded total capacity at each NGMC hospital to meet the needs of the community,” said Dr. John Delzell, NGHS incident com mander. “We’re better prepared now that at any other time dur ing the pandemic, thanks to quick work by our employees and physi cians to create new units, convert negative pressure rooms and flex staffing levels.” “We’ve really seen the 90 to 100% full levels consistently at the Gainesville and Braselton hospitals during the past two weeks,” said Sean Couch, NGHS spokesman, ■ Please see CAPACITY, 5A ‘Faith over fear’ Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Syfan Logistics employees practice social distancing inside the office Wednesday, July 29. The firm has been hit hard with dozens testing positive in the company. Syfan Logistics upbeat even as COVID-19 outbreak strikes BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Syfan Logistics in Gainesville did what it could to ward off the coronavirus. The transportation firm, with 80% of employees working from home, has installed thermal cameras to detect temperatures of people passing through entrances, brought in meals so employees don’t have to go out for food, put up glass dividers between desks and used a clean ing service to keep things sanitized. “I feel like we’ve done what the CDC says and maybe a little more,” said Steve Syfan, co-founder and executive vice president of the company at 2037 Old Candler Road. But COVID-19 still found a way to infect 53 people associated with the company, A special camera measures the body temperatures of everyone entering the lobby of Syfan Logistics in Gainesville. including family, in the last six weeks. The good news is none have tested posi tive in the past 16 days and “nobody has stayed in the hospital,” Syfan told The Times this week. “It’s not been fun, but neither is the flu. I don’t want to make light of (COVID-19) in any way. It can hit hard. I believe it’s real. I’ve felt it.” Syfan is one of those testing positive, experiencing mild symptoms, such as cough and losing the ability to taste or smell, which he says, “is pretty weird.” And overall, that’s been the case with the other 52. “We’ve made it through it with a mini mum number of symptoms,” he said. “Tired is the No. 1 symptom we’ve wit nessed — low energy and no taste or smell.” Syfan said there were concerns about his 76-year-old father, Jim Syfan, the ■ Please see SYFAN, 6A Church leader charged again with sex crimes La Luz del Mundo plans for location in Flowery Branch unclear BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com California has charged the leader of a Mexi can megachurch that has proposed a large multiuse development in Flowery Branch with child rape and human trafficking, the Associ ated Press has reported. Naason Joaquin Garcia, the self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo, was charged Wednesday, July 29, with three dozen felony counts, according to the AP. The charges were filed months after a court dis missed the previous allega tions because of prosecution errors. According to AP, prosecutors contend Garcia and two others committed sex crimes and pro duced child pornography involving five women and girls who were church group members. The crimes took place between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County, authorities said. Garcia is the spiritual leader of La Luz del Mundo, which is Spanish for “The Light Of The World.” He has previously denied wrongdoing. The Guadalajara, Mexico-based evangelical Christian church was founded by his grandfa ther and claims 5 million followers worldwide. Jack Freeman, LLDM spokesman, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. The church has proposed building a 272-acre complex off Hog Mountain Road in Flowery Branch. The project calls for a hotel, retail, and multifamily and single-family homes. It also proposes a school site, fellowship hall, adminis trative offices and cultural center/park. No application has been filed on the proj ect, and a website describing the project appears to be down, with the message “This site can’t be reached.” Hall County tax records show the church still owns the property in question. “The city has not heard from them at all,” Flowery Branch city planner Rich Atkinson said Friday, July 31. Garcia DEATHS 2B Billy Adams, 89 Edward Allen, 91 Harold Archer, 82 Robbie Bettis, 68 Edward Casper, 65 Jimmy Chastain, 64 Lee Costlow, 67 Linda Covington, 69 William Crain, 59 James Day, 78 Richard Dougherty, 85 Robin Earls, 64 Sue Eidson, 80 Melissa Farmer, 59 James Hammond, 77 John Harper, 89 Ann Holmes, 88 William Hunt, Sr., 82 Alice Kikta, 92 Awa Martin, 57 Joann Miller, 64 Sharon Moore, 70 Edward Muschell, 89 Bennie Peck Walter Schindler Jr., 61 Sherka Statham Nancy Stiles, 79 Roger Tapleshay, 81 Christine Thomas, 66 Ralph Tolliver, 90 Ricky Waters, 62 Russell Wells, 87 Joyce Whitmire, 81 Clint Whittney 56 Nettie Wood, 80 0 40901 06825 9 YOUR CARE FROM ANYWHERE. nghs.com/video-visits
