Tag: covid19

Churchgoers Flock To Hear Louisiana Pastor Despite Virus Ban

“The whole situation just puts everyone at risk.”

CENTRAL, La. (AP) — Buses and cars filled a Louisiana church parking lot for another service Tuesday evening as worshippers flocked to hear a Louisiana pastor who is facing misdemeanor charges for holding services despite a ban on gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A few protesters turned out, too, including a man shouting through a bullhorn against those gathering at the Life Tabernacle Church in the city of Central, where pastor Tony Spell has been holding services. Another demonstrator held up a sign reading: “God don’t like stupid.”

Afterward, people began leaving the church, some chatting outside the front doors, and many appearing to not be adhering to social distancing recommendations to remain at least six feet (2 meters) apart. Hugs and handshakes were shared freely as people said their goodbyes and departed.

Hours earlier on Tuesday, Spell was issued a summons for holding services previously at the church in violation of the governor’s order banning gatherings.

“Come out, Tony. Come tell us why you’re endangering people’s lives,” the man with the bullhorn shouted Tuesday evening, directing his words at the pastor.

Flanked by some of his congregation, including children and older people, Spell emerged from the church later Tuesday night and said he is going to keep his church doors open. He said he doesn’t consider keeping his doors open any different than keeping the doors of Walmart open. Spell also compared going to church to going to the hospital, but for spiritual healing.

“We are needy people. Our souls are lost,” he said. “We need help, and the church is the salvation center of the soul, the sanctuary where we come together and meet.”

Around Louisiana, more than 5,200 people have confirmed virus infections, and 239 state residents have died, according to the Louisiana health department.

The order from Gov. John Bel Edwards prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people, said East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore. Each violation carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine, Moore said.

“The whole situation just puts everyone at risk,” Moore said. “We ask everyone to abide by the governor’s order.”

The governor has urged church leaders instead to continue their services online or in smaller groups to lessen the risks.

Spell had previously confirmed he was facing misdemeanor charges. He said when reached by phone earlier that he was read his rights and fingerprinted — but the summons wasn’t deterring him. He said he would continue to defy the ban.

“We’re still here and still assembling and having church,” Spell said. Asked why he was defying the governor’s orders, he said, “Because the Lord told us to.”

Asked whether he was concerned about the pandemic, Spell said: “I’m no more concerned than I would be going to Walmart or Home Depot.”

Moore said earlier that additional charges could be issued if Spell continued to disobey Edwards’ ban on gatherings. He said the pastor wasn’t booked into jail earlier because parish officials are trying to lessen the jail population amid the risks of the highly contagious virus.

Earlier, Central Assistant Police Chief Darren Sibley had said officers had no plans to try to stop Tuesday night’s prayer service. But he said they would “document everything and forward everything to the district attorney.”

“He is doing this for publicity,” Sibley said of Spell. “He is putting the citizens of the community at risk. And he is putting the people in his congregation at risk.”

Edwards has issued a “stay at home” order that he said he will extend through the end of April to combat the spread of the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, which is threatening to overwhelm hospitals with patients.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and be fatal.

Edwards said Tuesday that law enforcement authorities had been “extremely patient” with Spell and had “done everything that they could” to get him to comply with the governor’s order before issuing the summons.

“I’m going to appeal to them one more time: Please stop what you’re doing,” Edwards said. “The overwhelming majority of our faith leaders have found other ways to engage with their parishioners.”

By STACEY PLAISANCE, MELINDA DESLATTE and CHEVEL JOHNSON

Associated Press

April 1, 2020
Urgent Question From Small Businesses: When Will Aid Arrive?

NEW YORK (AP) — When will the money arrive?

That’s the urgent question for small business owners who have been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak. They’re awaiting help from the $2 trillion rescue package signed into law Friday. But with bills fast coming due, no end to business closings and an economy that’s all but shut down, owners are worried about survival.

Millions of owners face April 1 due dates for rent, mortgage, credit card and other payments. Some have been granted leniency from landlords and lenders. But even then, there are other business and personal bills that are owed. And employees — at least those who haven’t been laid off — must be paid.

“How quick can we get these funds?” says Adam Rammel, co-owner of Brewfontaine, a bar and restaurant in Bellefontaine, Ohio, that’s now limited to takeout and delivery service. His revenue is down 60%. Yet he has eight staffers, down from his usual 25, whom he must pay.

“Relief can’t come soon enough — we’re a cash business with small margins,” says Rammel, who is looking to Small Business Administration loans. He needs the money despite receiving some concessions from his banker.

Freelancers and people whose gig work has vanished are also anxious about having to wait.

“I need to pay my electric bill and the mortgage,” says Krista Kowalcyzk, whose Southwest Florida photography business has come to a halt as weddings have been canceled and customers have decided against having portraits shot.

She feels somewhat reassured that she can receive unemployment benefits. But while she waits, “I am terrified that not only do I have no revenue coming in, I have also been asked for thousands of dollars in refunds.”

At companies small and large, from restaurants and retailers to sports and entertainment venues, revenue has essentially dried up. The same for the businesses that support those companies. Even employers that are still operating have lost business as their customers have became too cautious to continue doing business.

The rescue package signed into law Friday provides for Small Business Administration loans to companies as well as to sole proprietors and freelancers. The loans can be used for payroll, mortgages, rent and utilities, with those amounts forgiven and payments deferred. It will also supply small loans that can, depending on an owner’s credit score, be approved quickly. Employers can receive tax credits for retaining workers, though not if they have obtained one of the SBA loans.

Many owners are also seeking separate SBA economic injury disaster loans. And the Federal Reserve plans to set up a program to lend directly to small business owners.

In addition, freelancers are now eligible for unemployment benefits. And owners can be eligible for the $1,200 per person payment that’s available to many Americans depending on their income.

Whatever the source of funding, how fast it arrives at businesses across the country is sure to have a significant impact on the economy. Slightly more than half of American workers are employed at businesses with 500 or fewer employees. Every lost job means another person will struggle to pay rent or other bills. Unpaid bills, in turn, cut revenue for other businesses.

Layoffs are mounting, and most analysts forecast that the economy will shrink significantly in the April-June quarter, with some estimating a a 30% annual plunge for the quarter. That would be deepest economic contraction for any quarter in records dating to Word War II. In the week that ended March 21, roughly 3.3 million people applied for unemployment benefits — more than 10 times the number for the previous week and nearly five times the prior record high.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said the small loans would be available starting Friday, and in an interview with the Fox Business Network, Mnuchin said he hoped to release loan forms later Monday.

Katie Vlietstra, an executive at the National Association for the Self-Employed, an advocacy group, says she’s concerned about the lag time between application and approval for even the small loans that are intended to have the fastest turnaround. Most small companies have only 15 to 30 days of cash on hand, she said.

There are also worries about potential logjams at the SBA. The agency’s inspector general’s office found that the SBA failed to quickly turn around thousands of loans after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area in 2017. (The SBA didn’t immediately respond to a request for information about handling an influx of applications.)

John Arensmeyer, CEO of the advocacy group Small Business Majority, says he’s concerned that the loans will be processed through the SBA’s traditional business loan program, which relies on banks to handle the initial applications.

“Banks have to retool their technology to do this,” Arensmeyer says. “It’s going to be months before this money gets out there. How many people are going to be able to maintain payroll, hoping to get this money?”

On its face, the rescue aid appears to address some of the most vital needs of small businesses, notably their ability to maintain or hire back furloughed workers eventually. The issue is whether it will come quickly enough.

“The challenge is cash flow,” says Jason Duff, owner of Six Hundred Downtown, a restaurant in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He has a staff of eight, down from 27, handling deliveries and pickups.

Duff has less than a week of working capital funds available. He is seeking loans from family and friends as well as some patience from vendors while he awaits federal help.

Don Allison has bills coming due this week for his business, a publisher of books about the Civil War and northwest Ohio history. He and his wife are looking forward to a combined $2,400. But the royalty checks he must send out require a bigger cash infusion. And he’s concerned about being in a long line of owners hoping to receive SBA loans.

“They’re going to be slammed,” Allison says of the SBA. “How big a delay is there going to be?”

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AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow Joyce Rosenberg at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg. Her work can be found here: https://apnews.com

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In a story March 30, about small businesses awaiting financial help from the government, The Associated Press misspelled the name of Katie Vlietstra, an executive with the National Association for the self-employed.

March 31, 2020
Louisiana Covid-19 Cases Update

As of noon Tuesday, March 31, Louisiana had 5,237 reported cases of COVID-19, and 239 deaths reported, compared to Monday’s numbers of 4,000 cases.

Gov. John Bel Edwards will hold a press conference updating the spread of coronavirus in Louisiana at 2:30 p.m.

Edwards announced Monday that he will extend Louisiana’s stay-at-home order to reflect the country’s guidelines to continue practicing social distancing until the end of April.

That will keep schools closed, nonessential businesses shuttered, restaurants limited to delivery and takeout and gatherings above 10 people banned.

Edwards has warned that the New Orleans region is running low on the ventilators that the hardest-hit patients need. The governor said the federal government has committed to sending the state 150 ventilators. “While this does not meet our overall need, each ventilator we get in Louisiana helps us extend the timeframe that we can provide care to Louisianans who are ill, which is critical as we deal with the growing threat of COVID-19 in our state,” Edwards said.

Edwards joined New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell over the weekend to tour the New Orleans Convention Center, which will become a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients who no longer need to remain in hospitals.

March 31, 2020

Mississippi Covid-19 Case Update

Mississippi COVID-19 Cases to Date

County	Cases	Deaths
Adams	10
Alcorn	3
Amite	4	1
Attala	10
Benton	4
Bolivar	22	1
Calhoun	3
Carroll	1
Chickasaw	13
Choctaw	6
Claiborne	1
Clarke	4
Clay	4
Coahoma	21
Copiah	9
Covington	2
Desoto	84	1
Forrest	21
Franklin	3
George	3
Grenada	3
Hancock	16	1
Harrison	45	1
Hinds	90
Holmes	15	1
Humphreys	3
Itawamba	3
Jackson	40
Jefferson	1
Jones	6
Kemper	1
Lafayette	15	1
Lamar	5
Lauderdale	35
Lawrence	5
Leake	5
Lee	24	1
Leflore	19	1
Lincoln	11
Lowndes	11
Madison	42
Marion	5
Marshall	14
Monroe	6
Montgomery	7	1
Neshoba	4
Newton	2
Noxubee	3
Oktibbeha	17
Panola	7	1
Pearl River	30
Perry	3	1
Pike	17
Pontotoc	5
Prentiss	4
Quitman	3
Rankin	40	1
Scott	10
Sharkey	1
Simpson	2
Smith	1
Sunflower	11	1
Tallahatchie	2
Tate	11
Tippah	26	2
Tishomingo	1
Tunica	12	1
Union	3
Walthall	5
Warren	1
Washington	20
Webster	5	1
Wilkinson	14	2
Winston	7
Yalobusha	6
Yazoo	9
Total	937	20

Trends and Summary Data

The charts below are based on available data at the time of publication. Charts do not include cases where insufficient details of the case are known.

All information from:https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420.html

March 31, 2020

Shell Pulls Out Of Natural Gas Deal Amid Virus Concerns

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Shell has pulled out of a multibillion-dollar deal to renovate a liquified natural gas terminal in Louisiana in order to preserve cash during the coronavirus pandemic.

The company’s Dallas-based partner, Energy Transfer, will take over the Calcasieu Parish project but reduce its size, The Advocate reported Monday. The move was also prompted by the drop in oil prices.

The terminal, Lake Charles LNG, was initially built to import cheaper liquefied natural gas more than a decade ago when U.S. prices were high.

But now, the company has plans to export natural gas, mostly to customers in Europe and Asia.

“We continue to believe that Lake Charles is the most competitive and credible LNG project on the Gulf Coast,” said Tom Mason, president of liquified national gas for Energy Transfer.

The project has already been granted an extension until December 2025 by the federal government. It was estimated to create up to 5,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent full-time jobs.

March 31, 2020
Social Distancing Ignored In Some Mississippi Clubs, Beaches

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Some Mississippi cities are taking steps to break up parties in nightclubs and on beaches as people ignore Gov. Tate Reeves’s order to avoid gatherings to control the spread of the new coronavirus.

One mayor, George Flaggs Jr. of Vicksburg, ordered child care centers in his city to close Monday for at least a week, setting a stricter standard than the one set statewide by the governor. Flaggs also ordered that liquor stores and convenience stores allow no more than 10 people inside at a time, including employees, and that gas stations allow no more than 10 people at a time in their outdoor areas. His new orders took effect at noon Monday and are an expansion of some limits that Vicksburg set earlier in March.

Reeves has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order, and he has said he was allowing day care centers to remain open because some people who work in health care or in other essential jobs need supervision for their children.

The Republican governor issued an executive order last week telling people to avoid gatherings of 10 or more and broadly defining which businesses are so “essential” that they can remain open. That order said restaurants can offer carry-out or delivery meals but must close their dining rooms unless they’re able to keep 10 or fewer people, including staff, at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart. Reeves said it is OK for cities and counties to set tighter restrictions.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Monday that he has heard about nightclubs remaining open. He said owners of such businesses face serious consequences.

“Not only will we shut you down in the strictest of ways, we have the legal authority to cut your power off,” Lumumba said. “We’re going to cut your power off, and we will do everything that we can to make certain you know that we’re not playing.”

Lumumba said the city will make it difficult for such businesses to reopen once the pandemic is over.

Ocean Springs officials are limiting parking along the city’s gulfside beaches after groups of people were seen socializing in the sand during the weekend, some of them standing shoulder-to-shoulder. News outlets reported that police shut down parties.

The state Health Department on Monday updated Mississippi’s confirmed coronavirus caseload to at least 847 people and 16 deaths. Neighboring Louisiana has one of the fastest-growing caseloads in the U.S., and people commute between the two states.

Because testing remains limited as the outbreak grows, many people moving around their communities may not know they’ve contracted the virus until well after they’ve infected others. Places where people who aren’t isolating share the air with others pose a particular risk, since the highly contagious virus has been shown to live in the air for several hours.

Most infected people experience mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks, but a fraction of people suffering more severe illnesses can require respirators to survive, and as as the caseload rapidly grows, hospitals are bracing for a coming wave of patients.

The Mississippi Department of Human Services announced Monday that people may receive higher payments in March and April through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Because the agency’s offices are closed, people who need to submit new applications for SNAP are being told to apply online — something that could be difficult for people with limited internet access.

Yokohama Tire Corporation on Saturday started a two-week shutdown of its tire manufacturing operation in West Point, Mississippi, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, news outlets reported. About 700 people work at the factory, and most will be off the job. The company said the factory’s shipping and order fulfillment operations would continue, as would maintenance activities.

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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

March 31, 2020
AUDIO – Astronaut Chris Hadfield Shares Tips For Dealing With Social Isolation

Hadfield commanded the International Space Station for six months

Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield spent most of his adult life as a pilot and astronaut. He flew on two Space Shuttle missions, one Soyuz mission, and commanded the International Space Station (ISS) for roughly six months in 2013.

Chris chronicled life on the space station and took lots of pictures of the Earth and posted them on various social media platforms during his time on the ISS, and gained a ton of followers. He even played the ISS’s guitar in space. So if anyone is an expert on isolation and what to do, it’s Chris. Here are his tips.

March 31, 2020
Entergy Urges Public to Keep their Distance from Utility Workers

Entergy Urges Public to Keep their Distance from Utility Workers Field employees keep the power flowing during this critical time

BATON ROUGE, La. – With so many customers telecommuting and people depending on grocery stores, hospitals and other vital services, it is more important than ever for Entergy to keep the power and gas flowing to the people who are depending on us to provide reliable, affordable energy. To do this safely, Entergy urges the public to stay away from utility employees and contractors working in the field. Social distancing of six feet is but one reason to keep a safe distance from crews. Work sites
can have any number of hidden dangers for the public, and distracting crews can cause accidents to happen.

“Our employees are working hard to ensure the public has essential services,” said Eli Viamontes, vice president of Utility Distribution Operations. “When someone nears working crews,
it can create a dangerous situation for our employees and the person who approaches them. It’s imperative that people stay away for their safety and the safety of our employees.”
Customers looking for information on Entergy’s response to the pandemic should visit the Entergy Newsroom. Customers looking for individual account information should visit entergy.com/myaccountonline to check account status or to make a payment. Customers may also call 1-800-ENTERGY.

Other COVID-19-related Information
• As a reminder, with the support of our regulators we have temporarily suspended customer disconnects due to nonpayment. We encourage customers to make payments on their accounts, and we’ll be working directly with customers to make payment arrangements if they are unable to pay in full. Customers requiring assistance should call 1-800-ENTERGY (800368-3749) or visit myAccount.
• Customers also are reminded to stay away from downed power lines. If you see one, call 1800-9ENTERGY.

About Entergy Louisiana Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers
and natural gas service to more than 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. It has operations in southern, central and northern Louisiana.
About Entergy Corporation Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.
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entergylouisiana.com facebook.com/EntergyLA Twitter: @EntergyLA

March 30, 2020
Natchez COVID-19 Mobile Testing Site-Thursday April 2nd
- You must pre-register before arriving to the testing site. The will not be tested if they have not pre-registered!
  
  -You will be asked to pull to the side, pre-register and then get back in line for testing
  
  Two ways to register:
- C-Spire App: C Spire Health UMMC Virtual COVID-19 Triage
- Phone number (601) 496-7200
  
  Anyone in the surrounding counties/area are allowed to get tested and its FREE!
  
  Mississippi Residents ONLY!
The University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Mississippi State Department of Health on Thursday April 2nd will open a mobile COVID-19 sample collection site for one day only. The appointment-only testing is free of charge. Mississippians who have been screened as being high risk of infection will give a specimen sample, via a nose swab, without exiting their vehicle. Drive-through site for Thursday, April 2nd, open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., is located at: • Adams County Safe Room, 323 Liberty Road, Natchez, MS

Residents who live in and around the Natchez-Adams County area and experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, who feel they should be tested must first go through a free screening from a UMMC clinician through the C Spire Health UMMC Virtual COVID-19 Triage telehealth smartphone app. Those without a smartphone can call (601) 496-7200. Those meeting high-risk criteria will be given an appointment. Appointments for testing will only be given to people who are symptomatic for COVID-19 and are determined to need testing. Anyone determined to be at low risk for infection won’t receive an appointment for collection of specimens, but instead will receive instructions on social distancing, home isolation and self-care – and told to call back if symptoms worsen.

At the collection site, providers wearing protective gear will come to the vehicle window to retrieve specimens for testing to be performed at the MSDH Public Health Lab. Those being tested aren’t permitted to leave their vehicle.

UMMC will notify those tested of the results and give further instructions.
March 30, 2020
Interview With Bethani Douglas From Masks For The Miss Lou

Local Group Makes Masks For First Responders

What started out as a simple idea here in the Miss-Lou area quickly caught fire and in less than a week, a Facebook Group dedicated to making masks for doctors, medical staff and first responders reached nearly 2,000 members!

The group has come up with designs and patterns for beginning and advanced stitchers, they’ve coordinated donations of both supplies and money, and they’ve even set up a drop-off point at the Vidalia Markets for anyone who would like to donate bolts of fabric or elastic to the effort.

Bethani Douglas is one of the Facebook Group’s administrators, and she talked with Andrew Michael on March 30th about the group’s efforts, and how people can join the Facebook Group and help.

Click here to check out the Facebook Group and request to join it.

March 30, 2020