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Coronavirus updates: Workers at Hanford meat plant infected; Saint Agnes issues furloughs

The Fresno Bee - 4/27/2020

Apr. 27--The United States may be near the end of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a health expert from Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, but the number of new cases is still high.

In the central San Joaquin Valley six-county region, the number of cases hit 1,000 last week and continued to grow over the weekend; by double-digits daily in several counties.

Tulare County reported 13 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total cases in the county above the 500 mark. Fresno County confirmed 458 total cases in its last update on Saturday. Kings County saw a jump of nearly 30 cases over the weekend. The county listed 67 total cases as of Sunday.

Infected workers at Hanford meat packing plant

Several employees at Central Valley Meat Company have tested positive for the coronovirus and are under quarantine.

The Hanford-based meat packing plant confirmed the news on Sunday and said the workers had been identified through the company's daily pre-screening process and that the county health department was notified. The employees will remain out of the workforce until they are cleared by medical professionals.

The company did not yet have a total number of workers who have tested positive and expected an exact figure on Monday.

Furloughs at Fresno'sSaint Agnes hospital

Fresno's Saint Agnes Medical Center has furloughed around 175 workers because of a slowdown in business from the coronavirus pandemic.

The furloughs, which began on Sunday, affect 6.5% of the hospital's 2,800 employees and last at least eight weeks.

"It's really across all positions and based on business needs," said Kelley Sanchez, a hospital spokeswoman. "If we see a slowdown in a certain area, it will affect a person in that area."

Schools may trim police funding in wake of budget shortfall

California schools are bracing for multi-million dollar budget shortfalls in the wake of economic destruction sparked by coronavirus shutdowns.

Early estimates put the losses for Fresno Unified School District around $100 million, as tax revenues nosedive, Deputy Superintendent Ruthie Quinto said. But schools will get a better picture as fall approaches and the state finalizes spending plans. Despite the uncertainty, school districts need to have budgets in place by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Fresno schools are eyeing contracts with the city's police department as they look for ways to cut costs.

Fresno Unified staff began wading into those waters earlier this month, asking the district's Board of Trustees to consider slashing the gunshot-tracking technology known as ShotSpotter, which the district pays the city of Fresno to support.

Shootings in Fresno: 'no days off, not even during COVID-19'

According to figures provided by the Fresno Police Department, the numbers of shooting in the city has risen 67% over the previous year, looking at the days of March16-April 19. There were 47 confirmed shootings citywide between those days this year. In 2019, there were only 28.

While the dates are arbitrary, they are significant given Mayor Lee Brand's stay-at-home order was announced March 18. Those following gang violence in the city are not surprised.

"The streets don't take no days off, not even during COVID-19, so it's business as usual right now," said Aaron Foster, a reformed gang member who works as a community organizer for Faith in the Valley.

"Until we find a strategy, a way for rivals to come together and settle their differences without gunfire, there's nothing else to do."

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