Page 16 - Mid Valley Times 7-30-20 E-edition

Thursday, July 30, 2020 | A16 | Mid Valley TiMes HHSA building in Dinuba closes again
COVID-19 update
As of midnight on Tuesday, July 28, there had been 13,336 confirmed cases (9,336 active) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) out of 121,305 tests (10.8 percent) in Fresno County, with 120 deaths.
Among Mid Valley Times cities, Sanger (including the region to the northeast) had the most positive cases with 658 while Reedley jumped to 628 cases, Parlier climbed to 529 cases and Orange Cove had 304 cases. Del Rey was at 53 cases while Fowler had 110 cases. Squaw Valley and Dunlap each have six positive cases. The county reported that 3,880 of the positive cases (29.1 percent) had recovered.
In Tulare County, there were 8,862 confirmed cases (3,609 active) of COVID-19 with 173 deaths and 111 hospitalized as of noon on Tuesday, July 28. Breakdowns by cities/regions show 1,039 cases in Dinuba, 365 in Orosi, 188 in Cutler, 46 in Traver and less than 11 each in rural areas south of Reedley and east of Orange Cove.
A total of 5,080 people had recovered from the virus in Tulare County.
MVT Staff Report
For the third time in less than five weeks, the Tulare Coun- ty Health & Human Services Agency closed the Dinuba Tu- lareWORKs and Child Welfare Services District Office due to COVID-19.
The HHSA confirmed that a public employee at the Dinuba District office, located at 1066 North Alta Avenue, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The employee began to show symp- toms and notified a supervisor.
The agency has protocols in place to address employees who
become ill. These protocols include asking employees to stay home if they show any symptoms, report- ing any symptoms that develop during working hours, asking non- essential employees to work from home, maintaining sufficient social distancing in the workplace, and consistently using excellent hy- giene and cleaning practices.
With the Dinuba District Of- fice expected to be temporarily closed, those needing services through TulareWORKs can con- tact the call center at 1-800-540- 6880. Anyone needing services through Child Welfare Services can call (559) 623-0500.
To reduce and stop the spread of COVID-19 in Tulare County, lo- cal public health officials strongly urge everyone to practice both social and physical distancing of six feet or more between persons. Residents should always wear a face mask or covering while in environments where physical dis- tancing is not possible and while in public settings. More important- ly, officials urge residents to not participate in social gatherings of any kind, as a large number of the COVID-19 cases in Tulare Coun- ty stem from contact exposure through gatherings that occurred beyond a single household.
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Restaurants such as Safari’s offer take out and deliveries. An out- door area to eat is anoth- er option for customers.
“It’s all up to the con- sumer to have the op- tion for take-out or have a sit-down meal,” Sills said. “Whatever makes you comfortable.”
Perko’s Café just added a few canopies
DUSD
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trict unanimously approved a plan that would allow for some students to return to school using a split model that would have divided stu- dents into two groups. The two groups would have re- ceived in-person learning at their given school sites on two separate days during the week, while receiving online distance learning the other three days. The plan also al- lowed parents to choose a full
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of the statewide average of 7.5 percent.
The state is allocating more than $50 million to help support health care workers and pay for new workers.
Meanwhile, more outdoor settings for res- taurants, churches and businesses continue to be established in region cities. Still, the economic
impact continues to ham- mer small businesses that have had to close to indoor activities because of New- som's July 13 mandate. Since early July, Fresno and Tulare counties have continued to be on the County Monitoring List.
About 200 people at- tended a "Sing to Our King" protest march in Sanger on July 25, walk- ing north along Bethel Avenue from North Ave- nue to 9th Street to show
opposition to Newsom's restrictions on singing in churches. The event was planned before the July 13 mandate that re- quired churches to halt indoor services.
Recent state actions and the COVID-19 num-
bers also caused Di- nuba Unified and Kings Canyon Unified school districts to at least tem- porarily step back from blended (online and live) class instruction to online only for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
near the front of the store and there could be other restaurants creating temporary outdoor dining, ac- cording to assistant city manager Daniel James.
“The city is working closely with businesses our local businesses to assist them through the process and sup- port them during these challenging times,” James said.
distance learning option.
The implementation of the plan was short lived, as Gov. Newsom mandated on July 17 that school district’s with- in the Governor’s COVID-19 County Monitoring list could only open under a distance learning model to begin the
new school year.
Both Tulare County and
Fresno County remain on the watch list as numbers of posi- tive cases continue to rise, meaning districts in each coun- ty will have to begin the school year with distance learning.
For Dinuba Unified, the district is promising a differ- ent experience from that of last spring.
“Expect Fall 2020 Distance Learning to be different that it was in the spring,” said a dis- trict letter to the community regarding the new changes.
The district’s new distance learning plan promises fre- quent interactions between student and teacher, with grad- ing to resume as normal. Atten- dance will also be taken regu- larly and tutoring services will be offered to assist students
with reading and/or math.
The first day of school in Di- nuba Unified is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11. Prior to the start, parents and guardians will be asked to check out Chrome- books, which will be distributed to every student in the district, as well as materials students will need to participate in learn- ing from home. The district will also be working to ensure that households have Wifi to partici- pate in online classes and will help guide students and families
to health resources if needed. Efforts to facilitate special
education needs and counsel- ing services will also be made by the district.
As of early this week, there were over 8,200 positive cas- es reported in Tulare County since the pandemic first be- gan. Dinuba has been one of the largest contributors to those numbers, breaking the 1,000 mark on July 24 with a reported 1,013 cases.
By population, those num- bers translate to a just over a 4 percent infection rate in Di- nuba, the highest of any com- munity in the region.
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