Page 14 - Mid Valley Times 6-25-20 E-edition

Thursday, June 25, 2020
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A14 | Mid Valley TiMes
clude: asking employ- ees to stay home if they show any symptoms, re- porting any symptoms that develop during working hours, asking non-essential employ- ees to work from home, maintaining sufficient social distancing in the workplace, and consis- tently using excellent hygiene and cleaning practices.
With the Dinuba of- fice expected to be temporarily closed, those needing services through TulareWORKs can contact the call cen- ter at 1-800-540-6880. Anyone needing servic- es through Child Welfare Services can call (559) 623-0500.
MASKS Continued from page A1
sharing; engaging in on-site work that involves interacting in person with the public, working in food or food distri- bution, and walking through common indoor areas.
But both Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Bordeaux said they will not enforce the mandate.
Mims – whose department is deal-
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CLOSURE Continued from page A1
for COVID-19. The em- ployee began to show symptoms and notified a supervisor.
The county has in- structed all employees during this time that they should not come to work if they show any symptoms of illness. The agency has closed the location for cleaning and is notifying all mem- bers of its workforce with whom the infected employee may have had potential contact. The agency had begun to lim- it the number of employ- ees working at each of its sites in March, which has limited exposure to other county employees. Public access to this of- fice has remained closed since March 23.
This is the second time the Dinuba loca-
George M. Villagrana / Mid Valley Times
For the second time in less than two months, the Dinuba TulareWORKS and Child Welfare Services District Office has been closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 update
As of 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, there had been 3,672 confirmed cases (2,591 active) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Fresno County, with 70 deaths.
Among Mid Valley Times cities, Sanger (including the region to the northeast) had the most positive cases with 299 while Reedley had 204 cases, Parlier had 181 cases and Orange Cove had 130 cases. Del Rey was at 25 cases while Fowler had 34 cases. The county reported that 1,011 of the positive cases had recovered.
In Tulare County, there were 3,434 confirmed cases (753 active) of COVID-19 with 116 deaths as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23. Breakdowns by cities/regions now are available, with 508 cases in Dinuba, 145 in Orosi, 82 in Cutler, 21 in the Traver area and less than 11 each in rural areas south of Reedley and east of Orange Cove. A total of 2,565 people had recovered from the virus in Tulare County.
tion has closed due to COVID-19. On May 14, the location fully closed because an employee tested positive. The of- fice was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, allowing employees to return to work on June 1 following proper pro- tocols.
It is not unexpected that employees may be- come ill as COVID-19 continues spreading throughout the com- munity. The HHSA has protocols in place to address this and simi- lar situations involving employees who become ill. These protocols in-
ing with the quarantine of inmates in the North Annex Jail in Fresno after an outbreak of COVID-19 last week — said the agency does not have the resources to direct toward forcing the public to wear masks.
Fresno County's positive cases jumped by nearly 800 in the past week, nearly 80 in Sanger and 45 in Reedley. In Tulare County, the increase was less than 650 from the week previous; 83 more in Dinuba, 38 more in Orosi and 19 more in Cutler.
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GENERAL PLAN Continued from page A1
“The city hit a home run with the grant for the water tank,” said Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Martinez. “If they could do the same thing (for North Academy Avenue annexation) it would be great.”
The backbone of the annexation, which would involve water and sewer infrastructure, would cost the city about $9 million and the city is looking to acquire a $4 million grant to jump- start the project.
When the project is complete, the corridor’s theme will tie into the city’s history, the city’s slogan ‘The Nation’s Christmas Tree City” and its location being a gateway to the Sierra Nevada, as one of the recommendations made by the city’s planning commission would incorporate a ‘mountain timber style’ architectural theme, something well received by the council.
Other recommendations made by the planning commission include add- ing more bike lanes, establishing a community garden and sports com- plex, establishing mixed use zones in certain areas of town, making efforts to attract a community college cam- pus to Sanger, establishing a trolley system in the core areas of town, a light rail system between the cities of Fresno, Sanger, Reedley and Dinuba, and establishing an adopt-a-planter program for the downtown area.
Some of the recommendations were will received by the council, but Navarro advised council that some may have a ‘ripple effect’, meaning they could present challenges for the city down the road.
In total, the planning commission submitted 21 recommendations for the city’s new general plan. Because of time constraints, the council opted to approve the general plan as a whole with the planning commission’s rec- ommendations to be reviewed thor- oughly at the next council meeting.
COVID-19 Update:
During his update at Thursday’s city council meeting, City Manger Tim Chapa shared that the numbers in Sanger saw a spike after opening busi- nesses at the beginning of the month.
“What’s starting to happen,” said Chapa, “is that the numbers are start- ing to go up.”
Over the past two weeks, Sanger’s numbers for confirmed cases of CO- VID-19 increased by 51 percent, going from 154 cases to 233. He noted that the numbers were in line with the increase experienced in Fresno County, which saw in increase by almost 50 percent after having also reopened many busi- nesses at the beginning of the month.
But council member Eli Ontiveros appeared unconvinced by the num- bers shared by Chapa.
“This is not a pandemic,” Ontive- ros expressed. “This is a ‘plandemic’. I think we need to open up for business.”
He even went as far as to claim the tests are rigged for false positives in an effort to make President Donald Trump look bad.
His comments were not taken lightly by other council members, nor other citizens who were listening via video or teleconference.
“I don’t think the county (Fresno County Health Department) is lying to us,” said council member Humberto Garza. “I don’t think the state is lying to us. We need to be careful. I don’t think we should be reckless.”
Sanger’s Vincent Wall, who also is Vice Chair for the city’s planning com- mission, took exception to Ontiveros’ words.
“Some of the council member’s comments are trivializing the people who have died from this disease,” said Hall.
Another community member, SAM Academy CEO Jerry Valadez, also dis- agreed.
“This is not a trivial disease,” said Valadez. “If we are saying that it doesn’t apply to us, then we are being pretty stupid.”
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