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A2 ♦ Wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ gWinnettdailypost.com
gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ A3
WORLD & NATION WORLD
India’s Modi extends nationwide coronavirus lockdown until May 3 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the country’s nationwide lockdown until May 3 in a bid to contain the continued spread of the coronavirus, but said that some states which have avoided outbreaks may be allowed to resume “important activities.” Speaking in a televised address on Tuesday, Modi said it was vital that the virus is prevented from impacting parts of the country that remain unaffected. “My request to all my countrymen is that coronavirus will not be allowed to spread across new areas at any cost,” said Modi, who wore a scarf covering his mouth and nose which he removed before speaking. “We have to be very careful about hotspots. We will have to keep a close watch on the places that are expected to become hotspots.” The 21-day lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion people came into force at the end of the day on March 24 and was set to expire on Tuesday, April 14. “Until May 3, all of us will have to remain in lockdown. During this time, we have to follow the same discipline as we have been doing,” Modi said.
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
US death toll passes 25,000
By Jason Hanna and Christina Maxouris CNN
After some governors said they’d work on regional plans to roll back stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, two of those leaders warned any reopening still appears far away. This comes as the death toll from COVID-19 in the United States passed the 25,000 mark Tuesday, according to data tallied by Johns Hopkins University. And New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in particular said he’d fight in court any federal order to reopen his state’s economy if he thought it was premature and endangered New Yorkers’ health. “If (President Trump) ordered me to reopen it in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn’t do it,” Cuomo told CNN’s “New Day.” The comments come a day after two groups — leaders in seven Northeastern states, and those in the three contiguous West Coast states — said they would regionally plan an incremental release of stay-at-home orders. War veteran, 99, raises That may ultimately clash $2.5 million by walking with the plans of President Trump, who claimed laps around his garden Donald Monday he has ”total” auA 99-year-old British war thority to override goverveteran has raised more than nors, and who is expect$2,514,300 for the country’s National Health Service (NHS) as he aims to complete 100 NATION laps of his garden, aided by Obama endorses a walking frame. Biden for president Tom Moore, who will turn 100 on April 30, began the in video message challenge last Thursday to raise money for NHS CharFormer President Barack ities Together, which raises Obama offered his formal enfunds for UK hospitals, in- dorsement of Joe Biden on cluding for staff, volunteers Tuesday, injecting himself and patients impacted by the squarely in the presidential coronavirus crisis. race for the first time by urging He had originally set a tar- Democrats across the party’s get of raising $1,257 by his ideological spectrum to rally 100th birthday and walks 10 behind Biden and form a unilaps each day in his garden, fied front to defeat President in Yorkshire, north England. Donald Trump and win back But within 24 hours he ex- the White House. ceeded that target and has Obama, in a lengthy video since smashed the $2 mil- taped on Monday and posted lion mark, with donations on Tuesday, lauds Biden’s continuing to flood in. character and resilience, toutHe has so far walked 80 laps, ing him as the right kind of and plans to complete 100 candidate to lead the country laps by the end of Thursday. through a crisis like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Moscow rolls out Obama also highlights the stakes of the 2020 election by digital tracking to arguing Trump and Republienforce lockdown cans in the Senate are solely Moscow has introduced interested in power, not maka digital tracking system to ing progress for Americans. “If there’s one thing we’ve enforce a coronavirus lockdown — but critics say the learned as a country from technology represents an moments of great crisis, it’s unprecedented threat to that the spirit of looking out for one another can’t be reprivacy. The capital is the epicen- stricted to our homes, or our ter of Russia’s coronavirus workplaces, or our neighboroutbreak, recording 11,513 of hoods, or our houses of worthe country’s official toll of ship,” Obama says in the over 18,328 cases of COVID-19. 11-minute endorsement video. The permit concept is sim- “It also has to be reflected in ple in theory. Muscovites and our national government.” He continues: “The kind of residents of the Moscow releadership that’s guided by gion — anybody 14 years old or above — must download knowledge and experience, a QR code if they want to honesty and humility, emmove around their city. By pathy and grace — that kind registering on a government of leadership doesn’t just bewebsite or downloading an long in our state capitols and app on their smartphones, mayors offices. It belongs in citizens can declare a route the White House.” “And that’s why I’m so and purpose in advance; they then receive a QR code proud to endorse Joe Biden that can be checked by the for President of the United States,” he adds. authorities. — From wire reports The endorsement reunites
tayfun coskun/anadolu agency via getty images
With encouraging signs that the U.S. is nearing the peak of its coronavirus outbreak, at least 10 states have created coalitions to work together toward reopening their economies. ed to announce Tuesday a special council to plan the country’s reopening. There have been signs that the U.S. is nearing the peak of its coronavirus outbreak. By Tuesday, more than 598,000 cases of the virus had been reported in the U.S. At least 25,239 people have died. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont — one of the governors in the Northeastern pact — told CNN he still doesn’t expect to even announce a decision about how to reopen the economy before May 20. “I still have an infection that’s growing” in much of Connecticut, Lamont told
CNN. “This is no time to relax.” Cuomo declined to discuss a date, but said “we’re not talking about the next two weeks to three weeks.” “We’re talking about months. We’re talking about a phased reopening,” essentially a gradual expansion of essential services, Cuomo said. Both governors emphasized that reopening the economy requires things like a greater capacity to test people, including with antibody tests that can reveal who were infected in the past, and are likely immune and could return to aspects of normal life.
US is ‘not there yet’ to reopen, Fauci says Thoughts of opening the country’s economy on May 1, when federal social distancing guidelines are set to expire, is “a bit overly optimistic” for many places in the US, the country’s top infectious disease official told The Associated Press. The U.S. doesn’t have enough capacity to test for and trace COVID-19 cases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the AP. “We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” said Fauci.
afraid to die. It was the next day that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued his executive order banning all public and private gatherings of 10 people or more. On April 4, Glenn’s daughter posted a video, announcing that both he and his wife, Marcietia Glenn, had tested positive for coronavirus. The church’s post announcing Gerald Glenn’s death, asked that others would allow the saUl loeB/aFp/getty images/File “First Family to grieve in their Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden on own way.”
Tuesday.
the former running mates and positions Obama, whose endorsement of Biden was seen as a forgone conclusion once Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race last week, to be one of Biden’s most powerful surrogates in the race against Trump. It also marks the public reemergence of Obama into the political arena. The former president kept a low public profile throughout much of the Democratic nomination fight, but he was active behind the scenes. Biden thanked Obama for the endorsement on Tuesday shortly after the video posted.
afternoon. Fear of coronavirus proliferating behind bars has consumed inmates across the country, and federal prisons have reported in total 13 inmate deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning. Many prisoners have asked judges to release them, though relatively few have been successful. The prison in Western Pennsylvania, FCI Loretto, where Manafort lives now, currently has no reported cases of coronavirus.
21 New York City teachers have died from coronavirus
Paul Manafort’s lawyers have asked for the former Trump campaign chairman to be moved out of prison due to potential health risks from the coronavirus. Manafort is hoping prison officials will consider letting him stay under home confinement with his wife in Northern Virginia either while the pandemic continues or even for the four more years he’s set to stay behind bars, his lawyers said in a letter to the federal Bureau of Prisons Monday
Bishop Gerald Glenn, the pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Virginia, has died, the church announced on Sunday. Glenn had tested positive for coronavirus, according to a video posted by his daughter MarGerie Crawley. Despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid mass gatherings and maintain social distancing, Glenn said in a sermon on March 22, “I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus,” and announced he was not
Fifty New York City Department of Education employees have died in connection to coronavirus, 21 of whom were teachers, according to the DOE. “This is painful news for too many of our communities — each number represents a life, a member of one our schools or offices, and the pain their loved ones are experiencing is unimaginable,” New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement. New York has been a focal point for the coronavirus pandemic in the US, and the city has been hit especially hard. New York City has reported more than 106,000 coronavirus cases and 6,182 deaths, according to the city’s website. The deaths of the DOE employees were reported by their families. They have not been confirmed as related to coronavirus by the Department of Health because the DOH is no longer confirming individual cases due to community transmission, according to DOE spokeswoman Miranda Barbot. — From wire reports
supplies to protect healthcare workers. The company, via Instagram, said it had repurposed several of its workshops across France to “produce hundreds of thousands of non-surgical face masks” for healthcare workers. “This initiative will donate the much-needed protective gear to frontline healthcare workers. Thank you to the hundreds of artisans who have volunteered to create
these masks, as well as everyone doing their part to fight this global pandemic,” the company said. Louis Vuitton also said it was making and donating thousands of hospital gowns for six Paris hospitals in urgent need of protective gear. French financier Bernard Arnault is chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy — Louis Vuitton. British fashion brand Burberry, too, has pivoted part
of its fashion production machinery to make masks. The company said it was using its global supply chain “to fast-track the delivery of 100,000 surgical masks to the UK National Health Service, for use by medical staff.” Known for its iconic coats, Burberry said it was repurposing its trench coat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, to make non-surgical gowns and masks for patients in
Paul Manafort asks to be released from prison, citing virus
Bishop who said ‘God is larger than’ COVID-19 has died from the disease
PEOPLE
Celebrities sign up to be Class of 2020 commencement speakers from afar Millions of graduating students won’t have commencement ceremonies this year due to ongoing social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic, but thanks to a new podcast, they will have commencement speakers. Jimmy Fallon, Halsey, Hillary Clinton, John Legend, Kesha, Pitbull, David Chang and many others will give inspiring words for the Class of 2020 on a new podcast from iHeartMedia. “Commencement: Speeches for the class of 2020” is expected to debut on May 15, ahead of National Graduation Day on May 17. “Because so many schools and colleges have moved to online learning to ensure the safety of their students, many graduates are missing their commencement ceremonies, traditionally such significant milestones in their lives,” said Conal Byrne, president of the iHeartPodcast Network, in a release.
93-year-old woman got a massive Coors Light delivery after a viral plea for more beer Singing the folk song “99 Bottles of Beer” might be how some people are passing the time during the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to Coors Light, Olive Veronesi now has 150 icecold beers — and she doesn’t have to pass them around to anybody. The 93-year-old went viral last week after CNN Pittsburgh affiliate KDKA shared her photo with a Coors Light in hand and a plea written on a white board: “I NEED MORE BEER!!” The photo, taken by one of Veronesi’s family members, was shared more than 5 million times. “When we saw Olive’s message, we knew we had to jump at the chance to not only connect with someone who brought a smile to our faces during this pandemic, but also gave us a special opportunity to say thanks for being a Coors Light fan,” a Molson Coors spokesperson told CNN.
Disney+ edited ‘Splash’ by covering Daryl Hannah’s body with long hair Disney+ has a deep vault of content that includes everything from “Star Wars” to Disney animated classics to Marvel. One thing that the streaming service doesn’t have is Daryl Hannah’s butt. A viewer on Twitter pointed out this week that 1984’s “Splash” has a scene in which Hannah’s rear end is covered by what appears to be long computer-generated hair. The PG-rated film, which is a romantic comedy about a New Yorker who falls in love with a mermaid, stars Hannah and Tom Hanks in one of his first film roles. A Disney+ spokesperson confirmed to CNN Business that a few scenes in the film have been slightly edited to remove nudity. Disney announced last week that the service had crossed 50 million paid subscribers globally in just five months. — From wire reports
Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Chanel put fashion muscle behind face masks
By Parija Kavilanz CNN Business
Ever at the forefront of haute couture, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Chanel are celebrated by fashion connoisseurs for defining style in handbags, dresses and shoes. Now they are putting their fashion muscle and supply chain expertise behind making protective clothing for those on the front lines of
MUST READ the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 1.9 million people and killed at least 119,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The rapid spread of the virus since December has created a global scramble for protective gear, such as face masks, gloves and gowns. French couture brand Louis Vuitton said it was joining the global effort to make more
UK hospitals. Another legendary French fashion house, Chanel, said it is contributing to the effort by making face masks. The company last month said it was seeking approval for raw materials and prototypes so that its sewing specialists, who typically make the brand’s haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion collections, could start to make face masks and hospital gowns.
gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ A5
PERSPECTIVES
Gwinnett Daily Post www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Todd Cline,
Editor and SCNI Vice President of Content todd.cline@gwinnettdailypost.com
GUEST COLUMNIST|MARY KAY MURPHY
A salute to GCPS students, teachers and support staff for meeting the pandemic challenge head on
D
aily life in Gwinnett County Pub- vided exemplary leadership using e-class lic Schools changed dramatically technology and Quality Plus Teaching when Governor Kemp respond- Strategies to reach their students. Through ed to the coronavirus pandemic and their leadership, they have adapted from closed our public schools for the 2020 daily in-person contact with their stuacademic year. dents to online learning. This time last year, our five board Leadership is also what our cafmembers, superintendent, and eteria and school bus managers several central office staff headed displayed when they prepared and for five high schools throughout delivered 294,000 school lunches Gwinnett County to meet with to 68 Gwinnett school bus sites beand hear from our community. fore spring break. Those meetings will not be held As online classes resume, these this year. leaders are now providing breakfast It is also the banquet season and school lunches to Gwinnett stuMurphy when school bus managers, voldents 18 and younger at the same unteer mentors, student athlete stand- school bus sites. outs, technical education leaders, cafeWith the early closure of the 2020 teria managers and many others gather. school year, our Gwinnett parents are They do so to celebrate excellence, salute partnering with teachers to deliver susstellar achievement, and recognize those tained lessons to their children. They are who have earned community accolades. doing this whether parents work outside Those celebrations will not be held the home or are sheltering in place. this year. Our students, from kindergarten to Last March and April, we recognized grade 12 are showing remarkable reGwinnett students who achieved state silience. Their display of leadership is and national recognition in soccer, base- commendable as they adapt to online ball, wresting, swim and dive competi- learning, sharing devices, supporting tions, golf, and lacrosse. We also saluted teachers, and accepting a school calenstudents for their distinction in school dar devoid of traditional celebrations, plays, Mock Court competition as well events and rituals. as band, chorus, and orchestra concerts. As we witness these tremendous acts Juniors and seniors celebrated that rite of transformation, our grateful commuof passage— the prom. nity thanks the remarkable principals, Those recognitions will not be held teachers, support staff, cafeteria and this year. bus managers, parents, students, cenStanding at the ready as the month of tral office staff and superintendent and May approaches is the centerpiece of the his staff for their remarkable leadership academic year, with more than 12,000 in this challenging time. Gwinnett students poised to participate in We applaud all those in our school sysacademic honor recognitions and gradu- tem who have committed to service above ation ceremonies. self in meeting the needs of the system’s As we now know, in what seems a mo- 180,500 students with food for the body ment’s notice, our world and the world of and food for the mind. Gwinnett County Public Schools changed They embody what Ralph Waldo Emwith a fierce abandon. erson believed, “Anytime is a good time Yet, Gwinnett County Public Schools if we but know what to do with it.” is meeting the challenge with an equal and fervent abandon. Mary Kay Murphy is the Gwinnett At every level of our school system, County Public Schools Board of Education principals, teachers and other staff, caf- representative for District 3, which includes eteria and bus managers, parents, and schools in the Norcross, Peachtree Corners, students have forged pathways to lead Duluth, Peachtree Ridge, North Gwinnett, change in this unprecedented pandemic. Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Collins Hill Our principals and teachers have procommunities.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: EmAil: letters@gwinnettdailypost.com mAil: 725 Old Norcross Road Lawrenceville, Georgia, 30046
COLUMNIST|DAVID CARROLL
What a joyous day that will be
W
e are apparently approaching Suddenly, nothing would make the peak of the COVID-19 them happier than the exact opcrisis, and we are being posite of my “schools are closed” tested. Not necessarily for the viannouncement. I expect to hear rus itself, but in other ways. deafening cheers when I can finalThis is testing our patience, our ly say, “Schools are open again!” resolve, even our sanity. Don’t be For some of us, church had beashamed to admit you have been come routine. It’s Sunday mornCarroll depressed. My gosh, we’re wearing ing, here we go again. Get dressed safety masks in public. Who saw that up, see the same people and hear coming? One friend told me that she is so the same pastor. None of us imagined the bored, her idea of a good time is ironing. void in our lives today. Yes, we can still As for me, I haven’t worn regular shoes worship online. After all, our faith resides in a month. in our hearts and minds, and church is We know our colleagues are struggling, just a building, right? We say that a lot, and we can’t give them a pat on the back. but it’s not the same. We miss the smiles, We hear about friends who have lost the handshakes and the hugs. their jobs, and we can’t give them a hug. We would often put off a visit to the hosWe learn that longtime acquaintances pital or the nursing home. We had more or relatives have passed away, and we enjoyable activities at our disposal, so we can’t attend visitations to offer our con- put off those visits until tomorrow, or next dolences, face to face. week. Now, our already neglected loved Television offers us an escape, along ones are more isolated than ever, and we with our streaming devices. We watch are helpless to do anything about it. shows and movies to get our minds off We must keep telling ourselves this current events. For a few hours, it works. is temporary. We have been taught that But in an effort to stay informed, we turn things happen for a reason. It is part of on the news. And then reporters (myself God’s plan. included) splash cold water in your face If this is God’s way of telling us that we with sad numbers. Each number repre- had become complacent, smug and selfsents a real person, and a family grieving ish, we should listen and learn. After the a tragic loss. Depression, we became less wasteful. AfWe venture outside, but for your safety ter World War II, we became more appreand mine, we can’t be close. We look for ciative of our freedom, and more aware of smiles where we can, but they’re becom- our potential. After 9/11, we became more ing less frequent. Is that person smiling patriotic and united as a nation, at least behind the mask? Probably not. We would for a while. When this crisis passes, which love to strike up a conversation with that it will, we will be better people. We will older person. He looks lonely. But we be more thankful for the everyday joys of cannot get close enough. Is he sick? Am I life. Our friendships, our closeness, and sick? Neither of us knows for sure. Would our social opportunities. I have spoken to him a month ago, before We were not raised to be isolated and our lives changed? I struggle to answer quarantined. This is not in our DNA. that. Will I speak to him months from The human touch is a powerful sense, now, when it will be safe to do so? If not, and it can never be replaced or replicated shame on me. by any app, website or screen. Yes, thanks If nothing else, a crisis like this should to the wonderful innovations in recent be teaching us all some important life les- technology, I can see you, and you can see sons. We had it made, didn’t we? We did me. We can read each other’s words, and what we wanted to do, and went wherever we can hear each other’s voices. we wanted without a care in the world. Of But now, more than ever, we are learncourse, we took it for granted. Life was an ing that is not enough. I keep repeating open-ended buffet, and we stuffed our- it over and over: Staying apart will help selves with no regrets and no apologies. keep us together. And when we’re togethHow quickly it all changed. It was only er again, what a joyous day that will be. a month ago. Our jobs were so boring. Now, many of us would appreciate any job. David Carroll, a Chattanooga news anchor, Kids were openly hoping for a snow is the author of “Volunteer Bama Dawg,” a day, a flooding day, or whatever would collection of his best stories. You may contact get them out of school. Now they miss him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, their friends, and even their teachers. Tenn. 37405 or 3dc@epbfi.com.
COLUMNIST|DARRELL HUCKABY
H
COVID Kids and the Virus Games
onesty compels me to admit that as have always had the most to say about how I spend more and more hours, days, bad the school systems are and what an weeks and months secluded in my easy job teachers have are the ones who are home, the more time I spend on socomplaining the loudest. Let me tell cial media. you something. There are going to be There are some crazy people with some major gaps in knowledge when crazy ideas on social media. the COVID Kids leave school and head I wish Facebook had existed, for out into the world. And there are goinstance, when President Kennedy ing to be a lot of kids who drive their was assassinated. We would have teachers crazy next fall when schools gotten to the bottom of that constart back by putting down the four spiracy in about three days, because and carrying the one on multiplicaDarrell there are people on Facebook who Huckaby tion problems, too. know secrets that the government My lovely wife, Lisa, and I are suhasn’t even sniffed yet —about China, and pervising the home-based instruction of our President Trump and Hillary and, well, you grandson, Sir Henley the Adorable, and it is name it and there is a conspiracy about going swimmingly. He is in pre-school and it. Facebook would have exonerated Lee scheduled to start kindergarten in August, Harvey Oswald and tied the Kennedy af- but after Lili and Papa get through with fair to Lyndon Johnson and the Russians him during the quarantine, they might just before Jackie Kennedy could have posted want to stick him in the second or third a picture of the food served at the wake in grade instead. Hyannis Port. Save your snarky comments. I’m just Don’t roll your eyes and act all offended. teasing. Sort of. You know it’s the truth. Everybody on Facebook is feeling sorry And all these people who are actually for the Class of 2020 becaue they are having having to interact with their children dur- to miss out on so many once in a lifetime ing the school day tickle me. The ones who opportunities. No prom. No graduation. No
senior prank. I agree. It’s horrible, but these kids have pulled off the biggest senior skip day in the history of the world. One thing folks are doing to “honor the class of 2020” is posting their senior pictures in tribute to this year’s senior class. I don’t understand why an 18-year-old kid would feel better about things because they get to see a bunch of 40- and 50-year-old pictures of girls with big hair and guys with — well, hair, period. In fact, if the truth were to be known, I don’t know how many high school seniors are Facebook friends with a bunch of 60- and 70-year-olds to begin with. I think this activity is so popular because it gives people a chance to show off how good they used to look, before age and Father Time and too many calories turned them into what they currently look like. Not that there is anything wrong with that. This year’s seniors might not see the pictures, but I am enjoying them, so I hope this trend will continue a while longer. There are a lot of other Virus Games out there, too. In one activity you are supposed to list 10 jobs you’ve had in your life, but one is a lie and people have to guess which one. In another you list a bunch of people
you have seen in concert — but one is a lie and your friends have to guess which one. I don’t know why people are so fascinated with lying during this crisis, other than they’ve been watching the media too much. All of these activities are making me tired, but it’s like binge watching Tiger King. I don’t really like it, but I can’t take my eyes off it. The one activity I will not do is the one where people put math problems up with pictures of cows and girls with buckets and roller skates and stuff that add up to a certain number. I haven’t tried to solve an algebraic equation since I finished Colonel Stanley’s college algebra course the first quarter of my freshman year at the University of Georgia, hallowed be thy name, and I don’t intend to do another now. Speaking of the University of Georgia — y’all take this quarantine seriously and let’s get this pandemic taken care of. I have to be in Sanford Stadium in 164 days, along with about 92,000 of my closest friends. Hunker down, you guys. We can get this done. Darrell Huckaby is an author in Rockdale County. Email him at dhuck008@gmail.com.
A6 ♦ Wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ gWinnettdailypost.com CLOSE TO HOME
John McPherson
FAMILY CIRCUS
Bill Keane
Today’s Solution
BEETLE BAILEY Mort & Greg Walker
BLONDIE Dean Young & John Marshall
DILBERT®
Scott Adams
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE Chris Browne
Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
PEANUTS
GARFIELD Jim Davis
POOCH CAFE Paul Gilligan
Charles M. Schulz
PICKLES Brian Crane
Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same numSolution to today's Sudoku ber only once.
WHATZIT SOLUTION:
Today’s Answer: Gardens
gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ A9
Norcross teams up to feed needy families during outbreak By Curt Yeomans
curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com
The city of Norcross and local restaurants and hospitality groups are teaming up to make sure families in need in that corner of Gwinnett County have access to food to get by during the COVID-19 corona-
KEMP From A1 will be critical to maintain safety and track possible new outbreaks after people start going back to work, he said. The combination of more beds and more testing should both bolster the state’s ability to handle the expected hospital surge and help Georgians bounce back more quickly once transmissions of the highly infectious virus begin to subside, Kemp said. “We need to be firing on all cylinders to prepare for the days and weeks ahead,” Kemp said at a news conference Monday afternoon. The governor did not speculate on when the state’s shelterin-place order will ultimately be lifted. The current order is set to run through April, but Kemp has the ability to extend it. He has already done so once.
FEEDING From A1 to show health care workers at Northside HospitalGwinnett in Lawrenceville that they are appreciated. “I think it’s really important to help our medical staff, because I don’t know if everyone knows this or not, but they’re working 12-hour shifts without enough time to go out and get a meal,” Campbell said. Campbell, 16, recently started the Gwinnett Meal Bridge with help from Shivani Desai and Nathan Eyasu, who she works with on Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Gwinnett Student Leadership Team. The idea is that Gwinnett County residents can buy meals that will be delivered to hospital workers. Eight restaurants in Law-
virus disease outbreak. City officials said the effort, which begins today, is a special initiative of Mayor Craig Newton. Families will be able to come by the Global Mall from 1 to 3 p.m. each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday for three weeks to get free meals. The goal is to distribute up to
As of noon Monday, more than 13,000 people in Georgia had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. It has killed 464 Georgians. Based on current forecasting models, Georgia looks to be “in good shape” for a medium-range projection of needed hospital beds, said Georgia National Guard Adj. Gen. Thomas Carden. But the situation would change for the worse if the state approaches higher-range projections for patient surge, he said. Georgia is currently forecast to fall short by more than 200 beds of the roughly 800 ICU beds the state will likely need on May 1, according to a frequently cited model run by the University of Washington. To date, according to Kemp, Georgia has a statewide inventory among its hospitals and temporary field sites of 2,617 emergency-room beds, renceville are participating in the effort, and Campbell said the interest form the community has been strong enough so far that she is lining up restaurants in the Norcross area so the Gwinnett Meal Bridge can provide meals to workers at the Good Samaritan Health Clinic of Gwinnett County as well. “So we just started (last) week, but so far we’ve provided anywhere from 70 to 100 meals a day,” she said. Participating restaurants, so far, include Universal Joint, Cosmo’s Little Italy and Blue Rooster Bake Shop and Eatery on the Lawrenceville Square, Chili’s on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road and Jason’s Deli on Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville, Cuernavaca Grill Mexican Restaurant on Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville, Feast 26 in Buford and Smokin’ Gold Barbecue in Lilburn.
500 meals a day to families. The city is working with the Global Mall and the Walia Hospitality Group, which includes Café Bombay, Masti and Ashiana restaurants, on the effort. “Many families are facing difficult financial decisions during this trying time,” Newton said in
929 critical-care beds and nearly 6,000 general in-patient beds. The temporary facility being set up at the World Congress Center will act as a “relief valve” for hospital overflow, Carden said. “I frankly pray that we don’t need it,” Carden said Monday. “But I will tell you that it’s going to be in place and it’s going to be able to support you.” The governor said other temporary medical units that the state purchased will be ready for use in the coming weeks in Rome, Albany, Gainesville and Macon. The state has also completed roughly 57,000 diagnostic tests, mostly processed in commercial labs. The number of tests has increased substantially in recent days due to tighter coordination between the state health lab and private companies and speedier turnaround times at many local hospitals. There is a website where residents can sign up to say they will sponsor groups of meals, in increments of five, 10 or 15 meals, but that is to let Campbell know how many meals are being sponsored that day. After a person signs up, they must then call one of the restaurants to place the order. The site can be found at bit.ly/2XxeFIv. Although the smallest group size listed on the website is five meals, Campbell said there is not a set-in-stone minimum requirement. Some restaurants are allowing residents to pay for as little as two meals, she said. The price of a meal varies from restaurant to restaurant and depends on what is being ordered, but Campbell said a meals is generally in the neighborhood of $10. Campbell said she’s been pleased with the response
a statement. “With this new effort, we will be able to feed hundreds of food challenged citizens in Norcross and the surrounding area.” The pick-up will be drive-thru and contactless in format. Families who come by for a meal just need to pop their trunk so the food can be placed inside the vehicle.
On Monday, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the state’s public health commissioner, directed regional health departments to expand testing criteria so that tests can be given to more people than only the state’s most at-risk populations. Tests can now be given to people who do not show symptoms of the virus but who were exposed to others who are showing symptoms, Kemp said. Tests can also be given to people working in certain jobs considered “critical infrastructure” who show symptoms. By the end of this week, people who fit those criteria and want to be tested can call their local health agency to schedule an appointment and do not need a doctor’s referral first, Toomey said. “We recognized that we had probably made it a little too hard for people to get in because we were requiring people to get a referral from a physician,” she said. she has gotten so far from restaurants interested in participating in the effort. “It’s been so amazing,” she said. “They’ve been really helpful and I don’t know if I would have been able to do this without this support. Universal Joint has been really helpful since the beginning and all of them have been amazing and constantly in touch with me. Blue Rooster and Cosmo’s, I have their numbers saved in my phone, and Chick-fil-A just offered to donate 200 meals, which is insane. “It’s just been, honestly, really touching to see all of these people in our community come together because when I started this, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go and I was kind of nervous that it wouldn’t take off, but it’s doing amazing.” Campbell said a desire to help is part of her personal-
Organizers said the food will be sanitized and pre-packaged in “safe packing” and servers will be wearing protective gear. The Global Mall is located at at 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd. in Norcross. City officials said anyone who has questions can call 770-416-1122.
TESTING From A1 tested there since March 17, but they were only available to first responders, elderly people who had chronic medical conditions, caregivers of elderly people with chronic health conditions, people who lived or worked in places such as nursing homes or long-term care facilities. Testing appointments will be available Monday through Friday, and anyone who wants a test should call 770-513-5631 to find out if they qualify and to schedule an appointment. A doctor’s referral will not be needed, but people who want to be tested must have their own transportation to and from the testing site. Each person will remain in their vehicle while a nasal swab is collected. Each person who is tested will receive information about how to check their results online before they leave the testing site. The information will be available through a patient portal maintained by LabCorp. It is expected to take about 48 hours for a person to receive their results. Anyone who tests positive will also receive a phone call from the health department. Gwinnett residents can find more information on the COVID-19 outbreak by visiting www.gnrhealth. com/covid-19-info, dph.georgia.gov or www.cdc. gov/covid-19.
ity, and that she loves service and helping others. She got the idea for the Gwinnett Meal Bridge from a similar effort in Atlanta. That effort was started by a student as well. Her immediate response when she learned about it was to want to be a part of it. “I need to help, I need to do something,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t feel right to just sit around and do nothing while these workers are working really hard — the medical staff is working really hard— to fight this.” So, Campbell reached out to the Atlanta meal bridge’s organizer, and asked some questions about starting something like that in Gwinnett County. They agreed to partner with Campbell running the effort in Gwinnett. Campbell then got other Gwinnett Student Leadership Team members, main-
ly Desai and Eyasu, to help with the effort. There are also other ways Gwinnett residents can support the effort if they can’t afford to buy a large number of meals or would prefer to just offer financial support to cover meals in case there are time periods when no one has signed up to pay for meals. “We also launched a GoFundMe for people who didn’t want to sign up necessarily, but they still wanted to donate,” Campbell said. “We just reached $1,000 (on April 8), which was awesome because that our goal. “We still need more if we want this to continue, this fund to feed the doctors and nurses at the hospitals, hopefully throughout the rest of the coronavirus.” The GoFundMe campaign can be found at bit. ly/2K4NBbD.
Sun Dial at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, the five big malls of Atlanta and The Atlanta -Fulton County Stadium. He was a fan of TV westerns from the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. He enjoyed farming, hunting, fishing and bowling. To this end, he made sure one of his three daughters was outfitted and ready to go with him whether it was fishing with Melissa, bow hunting with Sandra, or rifle hunting with Gloria. He was preceded in death by his devoted wife of fifty-five years Joan Lee Guthrie Gunter, father and mother Lindsey and Dorothy Paul Gunter, father-in-law and motherin-law James A. Guthrie and Mary Lovetta Guthrie, three sisters Aretha Mae Beavers, Rosetta(rose) Beavers and JoAnn Kelly, and one brother Troy Ivan Gunter, son-in-law, John E. (Bud) Dean. He is survived by his loving daughters, Gloria Dean, Sandra Lewis, Melissa Chatham and her husband Keith Chatham; seven grandchildren, Joshua Lewis, James Dean and his wife Trisha Dean, Jessica Camp and her husband Blake Camp, Shelby Smallwood, Robert Smallwood, Jennifer Dean, Johanna Dean; five great grandchildren, Jameson, Bentley, Maddox, J.C. and Remington, three brothers, Cas and his wife Ruth, RD and his wife Betty and Elza Lee, his brother-in-laws, Freddie Guthrie, Ronald Guth-
rie and his wife Beverly Guthrie; one sister-in-law, Mary Loretta Ailey; along with dozens of nieces, nephews and limitless much-loved family. The family will have a memorial service at a later date. Online condolences may be expresses at: www. crowellbrothers.com. Arrangements by Crowell Brothers Peachtree Chapel Funeral Home, 5051 Peachtree Ind. Blvd., Peachtree Corners, GA 30092, (770) 448-5757.
OBITUARIES Sugar Hill
Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville
Bernice Dunagan
Audrey Clark Audrey Clark Audrey Simpson Clark, age 90 of Sugar Hill, died April 11, 2020. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Ms. Clark was born in Mt. Airy, GA and was a homemaker. She is survived by her daughters, Shirley Cabe (Jim) and Judy Clark, all of Sugar Hill; grandchildren Matthew Cabe of Sugar Hill and Stephen Cabe (Elaine) of Buford; great grandchildren, Jacob Cabe, Abagail Cabe and Aidan Cabe, all of Buford; several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to, St. Jude Children Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Mom loved her Lord, she loved her family and was a good friend to so many. We will miss her very much. Online condolences may be sent by visiting www. billheadfuneralhome.com. Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory Duluth Chapel, 770-476-2535.
Bernice Greason Dunagan, age 88 of Lawrenceville, passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2020. A Private Graveside Service will be held at Gwinnett Memorial Park. Mrs. Dunagan was born on September 8, 1931 to the late Bedford & Ethel Cawley Greason. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Andrew Dunagan, in 2012. Mrs. Dunagan is survived by her daughters & sonin-law, Terry Jo & Paul Stewart of Lawrenceville, Martha Dunagan of Lawrenceville, and Vicky Alexander of Senoia; grandchildren, Bobbi Presley of Lawrenceville, Dixie Stewart of Pensacola, FL, Weslee Sewell of Lawrenceville, Steven Sewell of Lawrenceville, Jamie and Tyler Hancock of Concord; 4 great grandchildren, and her brother, Morris Greason of Dacula. Arrangements by Tim Stewart Funeral Home, 300 Simonton Road SW, Lawrenceville, GA 30046. 770-962-3100. Please sign the online guest registry at www.stewartfh.com
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Betty Lou Morgan (Dutton) Betty Lou Dutton Morgan passed away on Monday, April 13th, 2020. She was 89 years old and a lifelong resident of the Five Forks community. Betty was born on September 21, 1930. She was a member of Maranatha Baptist Church and worked for Sears Roebuck, in Atlanta, for 38 years. Betty was always eager to tell she had 5 generations. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clifford Morgan; and her parents, Riley and Jessie Dutton. She is survived by her daughters, Betty Ryder of Lawrenceville and Deborah Butler of Lawrenceville & companion Rich Nardoza of Norcross; sons, Dennis Morgan & his wife Robin of West Virginia and Earl Morgan of Alabama; grandchildren, Donny Butler, Dixie Musser, DJ Morgan, Ivey Kines, Taylor Ryder, and Paige Haws; 7 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-greatgrandchildren. Due to the current COVID-19 regulations, a private service will be held for immediate family only. In l
lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Maranatha Baptist Church, 3340 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lilburn, Georgia 30047. Condolences may be sent or viewed at www. wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, LLC, A Family Company, 3705 Highway 78 West, Snellville, GA 30039 (770-9793200) has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Doraville, GA
James Clyde Gunter GUNTER, James Clyde (ROHO), James Clyde Gunter, age 76 (legally 19), of Doraville, GA, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. He was born February 29, 1944 in Path Fork , KY and moved to Georgia in 1964. He was with the carpenter local 225 and helped build Atlanta for over 20 years, you might have seen or been in some of the buildings he helped build, Marriott Marquis, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Georgia World Congress Center, the King and Queen buildings, the
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gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ A11
Xpress offering free bus Police seek forgery suspect service, cutting routes By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@ gwinnettdailypost.com
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — With ridership down significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Xpress commuter bus system will be reducing service from metro Atlanta’s outer counties into and out of the city effective Monday. The good news is that rides will be free throughout the system. Officials at the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), which operates Xpress buses, are looking to avoid potential crowding at fareboxes that would violate social distancing guidelines. “As more of our customers shelter in place and work remotely, we are further reducing routes with di-
minished ridership,” SRTA Executive Director Chris Tomlinson said. “We will continue to provide services at no cost to our customers who still rely on public transit, as well as implement the required preventative measures outlined by Governor Kemp, the [federal] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and [Georgia] Department of Public Health to facilitate their safe commute.” Routes affected by reduced service will include connections between Cumming, downtown Atlanta and the Perimeter Center and various routes within Gwinnett County — including links to the Mall of Georgia and Sugarloaf — and to from Gwinnett to points outside of the coun-
Gwinnett County police are looking for a man accused of committing forgery in an identity theft case from December. Police said Michael Carswell, 52, has been charged with two counts of third degree forgery, and that they
ty, including the Chamblee and Lindbergh Center MARTA stations and downtown and Midtown Atlanta. Service also will be reduced on Xpress routes connecting Conyers with downtown and Midtown Atlanta, and with the Perimeter Center. South of the city, service reductions will occur on the Stockbridge-to-Midtown and McDonough-to-downtown routes. To review the revised schedule for Xpress, click the link https://www.xpressga.com/reducedschedule/ SRTA will continue to evaluate ridership on an ongoing basis and will restore service levels when it is safe and feasible to do so.
By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@ gwinnettdailypost.com
Gwinnett County police recently arrested a Buford man on computer or electronic pornography and child exploitation charges, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Evan Charles Rider, 29, was arrested on April 2 after, according to the GBI, he was allegedly “engaged in a
sexually explicit online chat with who he believed to be a juvenile.” The arrest is part of investigations unEvan dertaken by Charles the GBI’s InRider ternet Crimes Against Children Task Force. “The investigation into Rider’s conduct was conducted
by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. Rider was arrested by the Gwinnett County Police Department and is currently being held at the Gwinnett County Jail,” the GBI said. The GBI is asking anyone who has information about the case against Rider, or other child exploitation cases, to call the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870.
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Buford man arrested on porn, child exploitation charges
HELP US KEEP GWINNETT SAFE. STAY HOME. Find the latest information about COVID-19 at Coronavirus.gov Learn more about the County’s response at GwinnettCounty.com GWINNETT’S RESPONSE TO
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are seeking information on his whereabouts. Carswell is accused of visiting an Michael unspeciCarswell fied bank on Five Forks Trickum Road in December and using identity theft
to unlawfully withdraw money from another person’s account. Anyone who has information on Carswell’s location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 404557-8477 and reference case No. 20-025024. Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest and indictment.
A12 ♦ Wednesday, april 15, 2020 ♦ gWinnettdailypost.com
join the fight. please give. We’ve heard our community’s desire to help during this difficult time. The most important thing you can do to help is simple: stay home. You can also help by donating to our COVID-19 Relief Fund. This fund directly impacts the people and areas most in need. Thank you to all who have already contributed.
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If you would like to join the fight and donate, please visit nghs.com/give.