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Coronavirus updates: Outbreak at another Tulare County nursing home; Furloughs at Saint Agnes

The Fresno Bee - 4/28/2020

Apr. 27--The United States may be near the end of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a health expert from Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, but the number of new cases is still high.

In the central San Joaquin Valley six-county region, the number of cases hit 1,000 last week and continued to grow over the weekend -- by double-digits daily in several counties.

Tulare County confirmed 28 new cases of the coronavirus Monday, bringing the total cases in the county above the 500 mark. Included in that number are 10 residents of Linwood Meadows Care Center, a nursing facility in Visalia. The facility is owned by the same company that owns Redwood Springs Healthcare Center, where an outbreak occured earlier this month.

Linwood Meadow is the fourth nursing facility in the county to experience an outbreak.

Two nursing facilities in Fresno -- The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens and Dycora Transitional Health and Living-Fresno -- also reported COVID-19 cases.

Fresno County confirmed 458 total cases in its last update on Saturday. Kings County saw a jump of nearly 30 cases over the weekend. The county listed 67 total cases as of Sunday.

No physical graduation ceremonies in Fresno

As expected, Fresno high school graduates won't have a "physical graduation" ceremony, Superintendent Bob Nelson announced Monday afternoon.

In an online news conference, Nelson said students would have alternative celebrations in place of traditional commencement ceremonies. He also said a conventional ceremony would be held "when we can" safely.

Last week, Clovis Unified School District said it was working on a venue for a traditional graduation ceremony planned for mid-August.

Second councilmember calls to reopen Fresno small businesses

Fresno city ouncilmember Mike Karbassi called for stay-at-home order that has closed many small businesses in the city to be lifted by May 7.

At a news conference Monday morning, Karabassi, who owns a small business himself, said that big box stores are operating without strict requirements for masks and other COVID-19 protections and that it's time to let small businesses open while maintaining safety guidelines.

"Think of it as a dimmer (light) switch, a gradual re-opening," he said. "The threat of coronavirus is not gone, but we need to start having the conversation and implementing reasonable measures to ignite our economy again.".

Fresno mayor defends COVID-19 committee

When Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced last week a 22-member committee that would plan the city's recovery from the coronavirus shutdown, it was criticized for its lack of diversity.

Brand defended his committee Friday, saying he has a "strong record of diversity" on his advisory committees.

"In the case of the Fresno Recovery Committee, this will likely be the most important committee that most of us have ever served on, and the stakes are high for our local economy," he said in a statement. "That's why I chose bright people with proven track records as problem solvers representing a wide spectrum of communities to best help us restart and rebuild Fresno's economy as quickly as possible."

The committee is made up largely of elected officials and business leaders.

Infected workers at Hanford meat packing plant

Several employees at Central Valley Meat Company have tested positive for the coronovirus and are under quarantine.

The Hanford-based meat packing plant on Sunday said the workers had been identified through the company's daily pre-screening process and that the Kings County health department was notified. The employees will remain out of the workforce until they are cleared by medical professionals.

The company did not yet have a total number of workers who tested positive, though it expected an exact figure Monday.

Furloughs at Fresno'sSaint Agnes hospital

Fresno's Saint Agnes Medical Center has furloughed around 175 workers because of a slowdown in business from the coronavirus pandemic.

The furloughs, which began Sunday, affect 6.5% of the hospital's 2,800 employees and last at least eight weeks.

"It's really across all positions and based on business needs," said Kelley Sanchez, a hospital spokeswoman. "If we see a slowdown in a certain area, it will affect a person in that area."

Schools may trim police funding in wake of budget shortfall

California schools are bracing for multi-million dollar budget shortfalls in the wake of economic destruction sparked by coronavirus shutdowns.

Early estimates put the losses for Fresno Unified School District around $100 million, as tax revenues nosedive, Deputy Superintendent Ruthie Quinto said. But schools will get a better picture as fall approaches and the state finalizes spending plans. Despite the uncertainty, school districts need to have budgets in place by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Fresno schools are eyeing contracts with the city's police department as they look for ways to cut costs.

Fresno Unified staff began wading into those waters earlier this month, asking the district's Board of Trustees to consider slashing the gunshot-tracking technology known as ShotSpotter, which the district pays the city of Fresno to support.

Shootings in Fresno: 'no days off, not even during COVID-19'

According to figures provided by the Fresno Police Department, the numbers of shooting in the city has risen 67% over the previous year, looking at the days of March16-April 19. There were 47 confirmed shootings citywide between those days this year. In 2019, there were 28.

While the dates are arbitrary, they are significant given Mayor Brand's stay-at-home order was announced March 18. Those following gang violence in the city are not surprised.

"The streets don't take no days off, not even during COVID-19, so it's business as usual right now," said Aaron Foster, a reformed gang member who works as a community organizer for Faith in the Valley.

"Until we find a strategy, a way for rivals to come together and settle their differences without gunfire, there's nothing else to do."

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