Friday, March 20, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
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TIFT HEALTH WORKER TESTS POSITIVE
FOR COVID-19
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An
employee
of the
HIV Clinic
at the
Tift County Health Department
has tested
positive
for
COVID-19
, the
Ga. Department of Public Health
(DPH) announced late
Thursday
afternoon.
According to a statement by DPH's
South Health District
, public health
officials
were
notified
of the diagnosis
late Wednesday
. A
14-day
incubation
period
of
exposure
will end today,
March 20
, for the health department's staff and clients, the statement read.
"The
staff member
continues to be
hospitalized
and is
not a resident
of
Tift County
or a
county
covered by South Health District (
Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift and Turner
counties)," according to
DPH
.
The department
did not say
in which
hospital
the infected worker is being treated or where the
worker lives
.
"
South Health District
officials have identified
all contacts
who may have been
exposed
while
the staff member was
infectious
. People who were identified as having been exposed have been
contacted directly
by a South Health District official and are being
monitored
for fever and respiratory
symptoms
. There is
no known risk of exposure
to general clinic or WIC
clients
," officials said.
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CORONAVIRUS CASES
RISE IN ALBANY AREA
GOV. KEMP CITES 'SERIOUS' SITUATION IN DOUGHERTY COUNTY
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
In a briefing l
ive-steamed
on social media
Thursday
, Gov.
Brian Kemp
said he was
"very concerned"
about the rising
number
of
novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
cases in the
Albany area
as
four
of the
10 deaths
reported in the
state
have been in
Dougherty County.
Authorities say
some
of the
Albany deaths
are
connected
with
attendees
at
two
recent
funerals
.
“This
situation cannot be more serious
,” the
governor
said. “
Stay
at
home
if you could have
potentially attended
one of
those funeral services
.”
The
four deaths
in
Dougherty County
were
all females
, aged
42, 67, 69
, and
73
, state officials said.
The
Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH)
reported
midday Thursday
that there were
287
confirmed cases of
COVID-19
in
Georgia
with
20
of them in
Dougherty County
.
Lowndes
County
reported
six
cases, and
Lee County, three
.
Because the
DPH
only
updates
its figures
once a day
at
noon
, the statistics
don't reflect
cases
reported later
in the day.
Phoebe Putney Health System
in
Albany
reported
Thursday afternoon
that it had
four deaths
and
43 total positive
results for
COVOID-19
.
Results that
Phoebe
reported include:
- Total positive patients in Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital – 19
- Total positive patients at home – 21
- Total inpatients awaiting test results at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital – 58
- Total inpatients awaiting test results at Phoebe Worth Medical Center – 1
- Total patients awaiting test results at home – 424
“We know we are
not yet a
t the
peak
of this health emergency.
More
of the patients we are currently caring for will end up with
positive COVID-19
tests, and
more people
in the community
will contract
the
virus
. We remain at a
critical point
, and we need the
public
to
follow
the
guidance
of the experts and do all they can to try to minimize the spread of the virus,” said Chief Medical Officer
Steven Kitchen
at
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.
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VIDEO:
City of Tifton update on COVID-19.
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TIFTON & TIFT COUNTY LIMIT ACCESS
In
response to the growing concern over
COVID-19, both the
City of Tifton and
Tift County governments are
limiting access to their
offices. Both governments are asking residents to
conduct as much
business online as possible.
City utility bills should be
paid online or at the
drive-through window or
drop box at
City Hall.
The
Tift County Recreation Department is
closed, as is
Tift County Animal Control – including
pet adoptions – until at least
March 30.
For
Tifton city questions, call
229-391-3957, or visit
www.tifton.net
For
Tift County questions, call
229-386-7856, or visit
www.tiftcounty.org
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8TH STREET SECTION TO BE CLOSED FOR SEWER MAIN REPAIRS
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Beginning
on
Monday, March 23
,
the
City of Tifton
will
close
West Eighth Street
between
North Park
and
North Ridge avenues
, the city said Thursday.
The
closure
will allow
repairs
to a
sewer main
. The city is estimating the
project
will take
seven days
, and that
section
of
Eighth Street
is expected to
reopen
on
Sunday, March 29.
While
repairs
are
underway
,
westbound
traffic on
Eighth Street
will
detour north
on
Central Avenue
to
10th Street
and
south on College Avenue
to
Eighth Street
.
The
detour
for
eastbound traffic is
College Avenue to
Sixth Street and then
north on
Central Avenue.
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EDUCATION FOUNDATION AIDS
TCHS ROBOTIC TEAM
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Dr.
Kaylar Howard
, a
member
of the
Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence
board of directors recently presented
$650
to the
Tift County High School Robotics Team.
In the photo,
Eighth Street Middle School
Coach
Brian Tapscott
is at left with
Howard
and Northeast Middle School Coach
Brian Saturday
.
Students
, from left on bottom row, are
Warren Asonte, Jack Medina, Ethan Cotton
and
Caleb May
; middle row,
Melvin Hines, Aiden Wright, Chase Walker, Emily Pate, Scout
Saturday
and
Ethan Stalnaker
; back row,
Damien Cruz, Valerie Lee, Paul May, Andrew Chapman
and
Andrew Taylor
.
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OCILLA SETS BLOOD DRIVE APRIL 2
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The
5th Annual Glenn Roberts Memorial Blood Drive
Is scheduled for
7 a.m.-7 p.m.
,
Friday, April 2,
at
Irwin County Hospital
in
Ocilla
.
The
blood drive
is held in
honor
of
Glenn Roberts
, an
Ocilla
businessman,
1977
graduate
of
Irwin County High School
and an avid hunter and fisherman, who
died
on
June 4, 2016
.
In his
battle
against
cancer
,
Roberts
needed many
transfusions
of
blood
and
platelets
. The
Glenn Roberts Memorial Blood Drive
is held in hopes of offering
second chances
to
patients
and their
families
in the community.
Appointments
are
honored
, and
walk-ins
are
welcome
. Generally,
healthy people
age
16
and older
who weigh at least
110
pounds can
donate blood
. A
photo ID
is required.
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Bob and Judy Thomas
of
Tifton
make the
best
of the
current health crisis
situation,
visiting Judy's mother
,
Joyce Hutt
, a resident at
Tifton Health and Rehabilitation Center
. The administration and staff there "are doing a
super job
during this time,"
Judy Thomas
said. "They have set up the
Zoom app
, so we can
'facetime.'
I really
appreciate
all they do to
make this time easier
on the
residents
and the
families
."
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ABAC CREATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND WELLNESS
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Students
who want to become
teachers
now have a
home
in the newly created Department of Education and Wellness in the
School of Arts and Sciences
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
“Our goal was to
create a unit
to
give
this
group
a
home
. We have moved them around a lot, but now they have their
own department
and a lot
more visibility
,” said Dr.
Jerry
Baker
, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Baker estimates that up to
150
students are enrolled at
ABAC
in the
early childhood
or
teacher
programs. These students complete their
freshman-
and
sophomore-level
courses on either the main campus in
Tifton
or the
ABAC Bainbridge
instructional site.
Junior-
and
senior-level
classes in the
major
are offered at
ABAC
in
Tifton
from
Georgia Southwestern State University.
For
information
about the program, contact ABAC Associate Professor
Donna Campbell
,
dcampbell@abac.edu
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CORONAVIRUS CLEARINGHOUSE
Important Phone Numbers & Web Sites
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MARCH 12
Rhea Roberts, 61,
Nashville
Rayford "Ray" Wallace Mullis Jr., 77,
Sylvester
Milam Wilson Wheeler, 79,
Fitzgerald
Mae Ruth Purvis, 85,
Ocilla
Huey Lee Cummings, 73,
Ray City
MARCH 13
Sandra Sutton Fields, 72,
Pink Hill, N.C.
Patricia Lynn Bargus, 61,
Nashville
MARCH 14
Marquerite Westbrook 63,
Ashburn
Diane M. Harris, 63.
Ashburn
MARCH 15
Ralph Lamar Hall, 85,
Savannah
Harriet Lavonda Brown McNair, 86,
Valdosta
Kathleen Collins, Fayetteville, N.C.
MARCH 16
Ila Jean Miller Conger, 88,
West Berrien
Dorothy “Dot” Joyce Griffin, 86,
Lenoir, N.C.
Forrest Hutto, 23,
Fitzgerald
MARCH 17
Allen Wayne Pridgen 75,
Tifton
Imogene Brickle Hasty, 85,
Fitzgerald
Sara Grace Paulk, 84,
Ocilla
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MARCH 19
Mary Elizabeth Fender Thomas, 73,
Nashville
_______________________________
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
,
Tifton, Georgia
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