April 1, 2020: Coronavirus Community Call -

Ben gave the following updates for Day 20 of the National Emergency from national, state and local news sources:

President Trump braces the country for “a painful two weeks ahead as the death toll surges towards 4,000”
United Nations Secretary General calls the Coronavirus pandemic the greatest challenge since World War 2
The economy has now entered a recession and recovery is unlikely until 2021
Field hospitals sprang up in New York’s Central Park to alleviate overcrowding in the city’s hospitals
New Centers of Diseases Control data shows danger of the virus for those with diabetes, heart disease and lung disease; people of any age with underlying health conditions are at increased risk if they contract the virus
President Trump forecast at least 100,000 US deaths from the Coronavirus
Evidence is emerging that social distancing may have slowed the spread of the virus in California
Stocks fall after President Trump issues warning on pandemic
In Georgia, Governor Kemp will deploy the National Guard to nursing homes and assisted living facilities to help limit the spread of the disease amongst the vulnerable residents
In Alabama, law enforcement officials urge Governor Ivey to reduce the number of inmates in Alabama prisons warning that an outbreak in the correctional facilities could create a public health catastrophe

Mayor Henderson gave the following updates:

Mayor Henderson thanked everyone for what they are during this crisis and added the that citizens of Columbus are the “heroes”
As of 7:00pm last night, there are 19 cases in Muscogee County
More test kits are available; anticipate numbers going up
Critical numbers are those checking into the hospitals because not everyone with the virus will need hospitalization
Additional data from testing will help them do some modeling so they can project transition rates on who may end up in the hospital
The original Executive Order has been extended through April 30 for the city of Columbus
Struggling with enforcement of businesses not complying; don’t want to have to give citations just want people to comply
More aggressive follow-up with businesses that are not complying over the next week; officers will visit businesses they have received complaints about
Mask are needed for public safety first responders
With the help of our local Homeland Security and our local Red Cross, we have the capacity to standup an emergency hospital in less than 8 to 10 hours. This hospital would not be for COVID-19 patients but to relocate patients to make space in the hospital for COVID-19 patients if needed
As a government, planning on slowing the spread of the virus and how to respond if there is a huge increase in the number of cases

Natalie gave the following updates:

More test kits came in yesterday: testing begins today at 9:00am
There are 19 cases in Muscogee County; total of 103 cases in our health district
More results coming back from the lab; check the Georgia Department of Public Health website for continued updates

Dr. Lewis gave the following updates:

Dr. Lewis stated that he had nothing new to report this morning

Representative Blackshear gave the following updates:

Jennifer gave the following updates:

Today is officially Census day.
We know that the Coronavirus is having an impact on the Census.
Households should have received a form to complete – a big change for this year is that the Census can be completed online.
The Census is a big deal – required by law – and determines how many representatives each state gets and how billions of federal dollars will be spent for roads, schools, and other important community needs.
Complete your forms if you have not and share with others the importance of completing this update.
Thanks to our partner agencies we will be distributing Buddy Packs to children in Muscogee County again today and on Friday. It’s been wonderful to be part of this project and see agencies work together to help meet this need.
Very encouraged how agencies who serve our community every day are stepping up in new ways to find shared solutions to any challenges.

Pat gave the following updates:

Encampment outreach continues to make sure that those that are unsheltered continue to have access to hygiene products and information as it changes
Doing daily updates to all our partner agencies as new Centers of Disease Control and Department of Housing and Urban Development information is received
Calls and webinars are taking place on how agencies will be able to access funding for the crisis
Planning for recovery once the pandemic is over; expecting the numbers for those experiencing homelessness to go up

Betsy gave the following updates:

Money continues to come in; incredibly generous community
Reminder of Global Payment/ TSYS $100,000 matching gift to the fund; they will match individual gifts to the fund up to $2,000 for a total of $100,000; more information can be found at CFCV.com/coronavirus
Reminder to non-profits to go to the website to fill out the form sharing what is being seen and what is needed
Reminder that the fund is geared towards non-profit organizations that are helping the most vulnerable population
We are also hearing from other non-profits who are in need

Erica gave the following update:

To increase awareness of the fund, Emerging Leaders United has launched a “Safe and Sane” challenge on Facebook and Instagram to encourage people to give at least $20.00 to the Crisis Fund. Each person is asked to challenge three people to share how they are staying “Safe and Sane” during this crisis. #SafeandSaneCV