Tulare County confirms second COVID-19 death

The Tulare County Public Health Branch confirmed the second death from COVLD-19 in the county. The patient passed away on March 31, 2020. The patient’s exposure was travel.

As of 3:27 p.m on Wednesday, the statistics released by the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency in regards to the confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in the county were as follows: 59 total positive cases; 16 from those who had traveled, 32 cases from person to person/contact, 11 from unknown sources and are still under investigation.

The county has seen three recovered cases, and now two deaths related to the virus. 160 individuals are under self-quarantine and being monitored by Tulare County Public Health officials.

Age Groups affected are as follows: two cases in ages 0 to 17, 11 cases in ages 18 to 25, 16 cases in ages 26 to 40, ten cases in ages 41 to 64, and 20 cases in ages 65 or older.

“Public Health extends our deepest condolences to the patient’s family and friends in the wake of this tragedy,” said Dr. Karen Haught, Tulare County Public Health Officer. “Please protect yourself and your loved Ones by staying home.”

The Tulare County Public Health Branch continues to work closely with the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), the California Department of Public Health (COPH), and local partners as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.

Again, the community is being asked to follow the governor’s stay-at-home order to “flatten the curve” and slow the spread of COVLD-19.

Please take action to protect yourself from COVLD-19 by following guidance concerning health hygiene, such

as staying home, social distancing when shopping for essential goods, washing hands, covering coughs/sneezes, staying home when ill and avoiding sick people, along with frequently washing surfaces with regular home cleaners.

The Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency is diligent about the protection of patient privacy, in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and for this reason they cannot release any other information about the patient. The information they release about the positive COVLD-19 cases in Tulare County is carefully curated to provide useful information to community members, while also excluding information that would lead to the identity of patients. This is a protection, provided by law, that is extended to everyone.

Updates continue to be available online at www. tchhsa.org.

EMC EXTENDS CLOSURE, CANCELS AYALA CONCERT

Eagle Mountain Casino announced on Tuesday that they will be extending their closure until April 30, at the least. The casino also announced they would be canceling the Ramon Ayala concert scheduled for April 17. A post on the casino’s Facebook page reads “Due to Covid-19 and the closure of EMC till April 30th, the Ramon Ayala concert has been canceled. Tickets purchased with a credit or debit card will be automatically refunded back to your card. Cash purchases will be refunded in the Gift Shop once we-reopen. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

SIERRA VOCAL ARTS CONCERT CANCELED

Due to COVID-19, the Sierra Vocal Arts will postpone their Spring concert, scheduled for May 3. It is anticipated that the concert will be held at a later date.

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST CLOSES RECREATION SITES

In a release published on March 31, the U.S. Forest Service announced that they would be closing all outdoor recreation sites until April 30, at least. The release read as follows:

“The Sierra National Forest (SNF) appreciates the public’s interest in outdoor recreation, particularly in light of current events. In alignment with current federal the Pacific Southwest Region of the Forest Service Regional Order No. 20-02., statewide shelterin-place order N 33-20 and local guidance for social distancing and to ensure health safety of its visitors, volunteers and employees SNF officials have temporarily closed all developed recreation sites as of March 26, 2020.

“To protect public health and safety all visitors to the forest are encouraged to:

• Avoid visiting the

forest if you are sick and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

• Follow CDC guidance

on personal hygiene and social distancing before and during your visit to the forest.

• If an area is crowded,

move to a less occupied location. Also consider avoiding the forest during high-use periods.

• Take your trash with

you when you leave. Trash overflowing the receptacles becomes potential sources for the spread of COVID-19.

• Please make arrangements

to use the restroom before or after your visit to the forest. Unmanaged waste creates a health hazard for other visitors and employees.

Closures of developed recreation facilities were put in place until at least April 30th, in an attempt to avoid congregating groups of people, promote social distancing per the Center for Disease Control guidelines, and mitigate risk of the spread of COVID-19. This is not a decision we make lightly, but we feel it is important in order to put everyone’s safety first.

For tips from the CDC on preventing illnesses like the coronavirus, go to: https://www.cdc.gov/coronav…/2019-ncov/ about/prevention.html

Information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is available at:www.usda.gov/coronavirus.

For up-to-date information on the SNF activities during this time please follow our webpage at www.fs.usda.gov/sierra

CHP CLOSES LOBBY

Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the front lobby of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) office will be closed to the public until further notice.

For assistance with a vehicle release, citation sign-off or to obtain a traffic crash report, please call the Porterville Area Office at (559) 784-7444 during normal business hours.

If you have an emergency, please call 9-1-1

SMALL BUSINESS LOANS

Those in Tulare County are now eligible for low-interest, deferred payment loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Businesses who are struggling to pay employees and vendors without cash flow are eligible for the SBA loans. The loans are available to small businesses being impacted by shelterin-place restrictions.

U.S. Congressman T.J. Cox-d, who represents the 21st District asked Governor Gavin Newsom to certify Tulare County had suffered “economic injury” as a result of a disaster and in need of financial assistance on “reasonable terms and conditions” before President Trump eventually declared a national disaster.

On March 19, SBA added Tulare, Kings and Fresno Counties to the list of those eligible for loans. All 58 counties in California are eligible for the loans.

“The coronavirus has unfortunately jeopardized the economic well-being of this area, because people are concerned with protecting the health and safety of themselves and their families,” Cox said. “Both our local firms and residents are feeling the impact of the coronavirus. Small businesses tend to have little cash reserves, and limited ability to raise capital. As a result, such small firms are unable to meet the financial demands when unforeseen disasters occur. SBA’S assistance can help address these problems immediately and help our residents begin to recover.”

To apply for a loan visit sba.gov Loans are reviewed on a case-bycase basis.