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Amanda Tello drove her red SUV carefully down the narrow streets of the mobile home park tucked away in west St. Louis County. With cars parked on both sides of the street there was room for just one vehicle to pass at a time.

She was there for the same reason I was: following a tip that officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had raided the park, looking for undocumented immigrants.

There had been no raid, though a man who lived in the park told me there had been some suspected ICE agents driving around for a couple of days, in vehicles with dark, tinted windows.

Theres always a fear, Tello told me, in communities like this one with heavy immigrant populations, particularly Hispanic ones. She works with a group of activists helping immigrants gain access to services, food and utility aid, and educational opportunities for children. She is part of a rapid response team that heads to neighborhoods whenever there is a report of a possible ICE raid, to record interactions with federal officers and to provide help to people if its needed.

These days, ICE hasnt been particularly active in St. Louis, she says. Their office, like so many others, is shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Tello and others are trying to help guide immigrants especially those who dont speak much English through the crisis.

Its a very vulnerable time for poor people, Tello says.

Indeed, just last week, more than 3 million people across the country filed for unemployment in one week, a dubious new record. But many of the people whom Tello and organizations that help immigrants serve cant access most government aid programs. Their ability to react to the pandemic is that much more difficult.

Read the original here:
Messenger: Fear builds in immigrant community along with isolation brought by pandemic - STLtoday.com

Signs at the Forest Hollow Mobile Home Community in Beaumont, Texas, advise residents to wash their hands. That simple act is the first line of defence against the infection that sickens victims of the coronavirus.

But when Amy Yancy,unemployed, left the hospital this month after suffering a miscarriage, she was unable to follow the instructions.

The water at the trailer park had been shut off.

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I was terrified we would get sick, Yancy said. Already, eight people have tested positive for the novel virus in the southeastern Texas city, where nearly 20 per cent of residents are in poverty above the national average.

Yancys predicament is shared by Americans throughout the country, as the escalating outbreak exposes how uneven access is to resources like water resources allowing private individuals unable to protect themselves as public institutions stumble. As many as 15 million Americans experience a water shutoff each year, according to one 2016 estimate. That leaves them unable to clean themselves and flush the toilet, all because of nonpayment, compounded by spiralling late fees.

Scores of cities have tried to prevent water deprivation from exacerbating the public-health emergency by pausing shutoffs during the pandemic. Some states have even stepped in. But getting the water turned back on can prove an arduous process, leaving the most vulnerable without basic protection against the coronavirus.

In numerous cases where service has been restored, access has depended on legal intervention or philanthropic goodwill, underscoring the precariousness of public works, even during a pandemic.

You cant wash your hands, you cant flush your toilet, you cant clean your house or take care of your family, said Mary Grant, a campaign director at Food and Water Watch. And during a global pandemic, we shouldnt need to depend on court action or some other extraordinary step for people to have basic water service.

In Beaumont, the problem was not that Yancy had failed to pay her bills. She was up to date, she said, on her $1,050 monthly rent, which covers water, sewage and trash for the two-bedroom trailer she shares with her husband.

Theirs is one of 65 units, whose residents include both very young children and elderly adults; some live as many as eight to a trailer. One resident, Tonya Lanham, is caring for her fianc, who is sick with cancer, at the trailer park.

It was the facilitys operator, Southern Choice LLC, that was behind on water payments following significant cost spikes. In dispute was $50,000, according to court records.

No hype, just the advice and analysis you need

The city turned off the water on 19 March, the same day the states public health commissioner declared a public-health disaster and the same day Yancy returned from the hospital.

Without proper running water, US residents are asking how they can hope to wash their hands properly in the fight against Covid-19(Getty)

She needed water not only to stay hydrated for her recovery but to keep herself clean. Her husband found two gallons discarded on a random aisle of a nearby store everyone was panic-buying by that point and her sister drove an hour-and-a-half to retrieve another two gallons, she said. They used what they had to bathe and flush the toilet.

Jeff, who asked to be identified only by his first name because he works for the state, moved his family to a hotel room for a day so they could wash.

We were in a situation where we couldnt follow the health advice being put out by our own government because they had cut off our water, he said.

Meanwhile, complaints piled up on a Facebook page for the trailer park. Lanham, 48, used social media to contact a judge in Jefferson County. His wife replied, saying her complaint was the second they had received about water shutoffs in the area.

An attorney for the property manager sought to negotiate with the city, proposing the operator pay what it could. But the city demanded $30,000 to restore service, according to court records. The city manager, Kyle Hayes, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A representative for the property, Bill Rodwell, said the city had been overbilling the trailer park. We want to do everything in our power to provide a safe, nice, quiet place to live, he added

The owners of a Missouri insurance agency contributed $5,000 to cover bills after the city said it would cut off water to residents who had not paid (iStock)

Residents at Forest Hollow said the conditions have been anything but.

I dont care if you have an ongoing dispute with the landlord you dont do that during a crisis, said Lanham, who recently lost her job as an assistant manager at a Lubys restaurant.

On 21 March, Southern Choice sued the city in district court in Jefferson County. At 6pmthat Saturday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order requiring the city to turn on the water.

Specifically, the lack of running water could result in loss of life and prohibits hand washing and proper hygiene during the Covid-19 health disaster, found the judge, Baylor Wortham.

The water came on that night. But the judges order expires next month.

I dont know how long the water will stay on, Yancy said.

In some places, it is still being shut off.

In Billings, Montana, identified by Food and Water Watch as among the 30 cities with the highest shut-off rates, terminations continue, an employee with the public works department confirmed this week. Mount Vernon, Illinois, conducted shutoffs throughout March but will pause new ones in April, according to the city manager.

Shutoffs are most frequent in the South, as well as in low-income cities burdened by poverty and unemployment. But the problem is increasingly pervasive. Nearly 36 per cent of households could be unable to afford water in five years if rates rise at projected levels, a scholar at Michigan State University recently found.

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While draft legislation in the House responding to the coronavirus outbreak included $1.5bn to defray water costs, coupled with a mandate that recipient states halt utility shutoffs, the $2.2tn package advanced in the Senate and approved Friday by the House does not include a similar allocation.

That leaves tens of thousands of water systems across the country to make these decisions, said Grant, the campaign director at Food and Water Watch. Its a patchwork of regulatory agencies.

Legal action was required in Beaumont, after a three-day scramble to get the city to reverse course.

In Troy, Missouri, a private act of philanthropy filled the gap. This month, as the novel virus bore down on the state, the owners of an insurance agency contributed $5,000 to cover delinquent bills after the city said it would cut off water to residents who had not paid.

We rely on members of the community to give us their money to sustain our livelihoods, so we needed to be able to reverse engineer that and help our neighbours, said Ramiz Hakim, a co-owner of North Star Insurance Advisors in Wentzville, Missouri.

Jodi Schneider, Troys city clerk, said the city was following its regular policy for having to do monthly disconnections. She said the board of aldermen would consider changes to the policy at its next meeting, scheduled for Monday night.

Among cities that have halted shutoffs, many are also vowing to restore utilities discontinued before the onset of the public-health emergency. But not proactively enough, warn advocates.

In Detroit, where taps were shut off in about 23,000 homes last year, the city said its crews were canvassing the 2,800 homes where water was known to be discontinued, and that nearly 1,500 homes had already taken advantage of the promised restoration. But Monica Lewis-Patrick, a Detroit activist, said there were tens of thousands of homes overlooked in the citys data.

In Buffalo, New York, the water department has agreed to restore service but is asking residents to call a customer service line to set up an appointment. Local attorneys said the arrangement presumes the citys most vulnerable residents have access to a telephone, as well as to television or other media where the number has been circulated.

But Oluwole McFoy, chairman of the board for Buffalo Water, said the city cannot instantaneously switch back on the water for fear that plumbing problems might lead to flooding. We need a contact, and we need someone present when our crews arrive, McFoy said.

The citys message, he added, was, Please call, please call.

Steven Halpern, an attorney at the Western New York Law Centre, called the expectation grossly unfair. He helped one of his clients, a 67-year-old Vietnam veteran who had been collecting rainwater to flush his toilet, request service, but he said there were doubtlessly hundreds of others in the city who dont have lawyers, who havent been in contact with anyone about this issue.

His client, who asked not to be identified, said, The shower felt so good.

Andrea Silleabhin, executive director of the Buffalo-based Partnership for the Public Good, estimated as many as 4,000 households a year have their water shut off for lack of payment. The city should have a list, she said, and could proactively communicate with these households.

McFoy said 128 households had been without water in the last month, and 64 had seen the resource restored since the onset of the pandemic. Now, the water department is accepting from advocates a list of their clients most in need of water.

In turn, advocates are asking the city to consider why a resource as fundamental as water is ever switched off.

Equitable access to affordable water was a national issue even before this crisis, Halpern said

The Washington Post

Read more from the original source:
Coronavirus: Multiple US communities struggle to battle virus with no access to water - The Independent

Twenty-five Marion County residents have now tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, with the majority of them 17 living in Ocala.

The patients are comprised of 15 women and 10 men and they range in age from 19 to 88. Two remain hospitalized.

Three are residents of Summerfield but it isnt clear if they live in The Villages or the surrounding retirement communities of Del Webb Spruce Creek, Stonecrest or Spruce Creek South. Others live in Belleview (2), Ocklawaha (1) and Dunnellon (1).

The tri-county area is reporting 142 Coronavirus patients 45 of whom said they hadnt been in contact with anyone else suffering from the virus. So far, 2,609 people have been tested locally, with 2,463 negative results. Four tests were inconclusive and 160 people are awaiting testing.

Thirty-nine percent of those patients 56 reported traveling recently either domestically or abroad, while its unknown if another 40 have a travel history. Those who are known to have traveled visited a variety of foreign destinations including Africa, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Caribbean, Egypt, Europe, Germany, Honduras, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom.

They also reported visiting 15 states and many other destinations in Florida. Those other states include California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Sumter County is reporting 51 COVID-19 patients, all of whom are residents. That includes 25 men, 25 women and a 44-year-old who is listed as unknown. The ages of the patients range from 18 to 92 and 15 of them remain hospitalized. Thirty-eight live in The Villages, while the others reside in Lake Panasoffkee (8), Bushnell (3), Wildwood (1) and Webster (1).

There are 66 Coronavirus patients in Lake County, 59 of whom are residents. The 34 women and 32 men range in age from 18 to 85 and 13 are still being treated in local hospitals. Besides the five that live in The Villages and a woman in her 60s who lives in the Lady Lake Mobile Home Park and was the first area resident to test positive for COVID-19, the patients reside in Clermont (17), Leesburg (12), Tavares (6), Mascotte (4), Groveland (4), Eustis (3), Minneola (2), Sorrento (2), Mount Dora (1) and Okahumpka (1).

All told 6,741 people have tested positive across the Sunshine State, with 6,490 of those being Floridians. There have been 85 deaths and 857 patients remain hospitalized.

As of Tuesday night, 63,400 people had been tested in Florida, with 56,644 negative results. There were 15 inconclusive tests and 1,261 people waiting to be tested.

Continue reading here:
25 Marion County residents test positive for COVID-19 with majority in Ocala - Ocala News

The Purple House in Alice Springs is usually a wonderful crazy place. People from remote communities come in for dialysis, to do their washing, to cook a kangaroo tail on the fire, to see a podiatrist or a physiotherapist. Theres singing, dancing, guitar playing and lots of cooking. Its like a big, joyful drop-in centre.

This week it is eerily quiet, and a whole lot of work has gone into making it so. Our front door has a sign that says Patients only, no visitors and theres hand sanitiser at the door.

Everyone has quickly become obsessed with hand hygiene and I am working really hard not to reach out to hug or comfort people when they are upset.

The dialysis continues and the social support team is out and about, checking on people in hostels and town camps, delivering soap, washing powder, tissues and healthy food. There is a sense of quiet before a storm.

This week we published a video in language, in Pintupi. We produced it in 24 hours. It had no budget, but we got it made and we shared it widely to help our communities understand what is going on, what we all need to do, and why.

There was a rush as we got news last week that the borders were closing and communities would be locked down. The rush was to get as many dialysis patients and their families back out bush where there is currently no virus. This becomes more complicated when you need dialysis three times a week to stay alive.

There is a lot of confusion out there.

How do we replace nurses when they are exhausted and support them from a distance? How do we relieve them given the quarantining regulations? When will our nurses who are overseas be able to return to us, and how can we possibly recruit staff at this time?

Do we have enough medical supplies? When will our orders of face masks and other protective equipment be supplied?

What will happen if or when there is a positive case in a community and the flying doctors and hospitals are so overwhelmed that we are told that we need to just try to do the very best we can for people?

There is distrust of the government based on generations of botched policies and draconian measures. The restrictions on social gatherings, on funerals, on meetings have turned communities upside down.

And when people ask us How long? we cant answer.

But there are also stories of incredible kindness and hope. Our isolation gives us a little more time to prepare than the big cities. Families and communities are working together to look after each other, to prepare as best they can, to minimise their risks andensure that old people, people with disability and children get priority.

Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations are meeting almost every day by phone to compare notes, share resources and knowledge.

What happens in the rest of the country affects us heavily. People who can stay home, please stay home! Do it for yourselves, but do it for us too.

This virus knows no boundaries in terms of wealth, status, language or education. But for those less able to cope with its impact, it will be devastating.

People in remote communities who have the least resources to deal with this are doing their bit. Can you help?

Sarah Brown is the chief executive of Purple House, the Aboriginal community-controlled dialysis service based in Alice Springs, which operates 18 remote clinics and a mobile dialysis unit called the Purple Truck

Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing.

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What happens in the rest of Australia matters here. Please stay home for yourselves and for us - The Guardian

Updated April 01, 2020 15:54:16

News Corp says it will suspend printing of 60 community newspapers in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia from April 9.

The organisation said advertising revenues had rapidly declined after the restrictions placed on real estate auctions and home inspections, and the forced closure of event venues and dine-in restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic.

The move follows the news of the closure of several Victorian independent newspapers last month as a result of a decline in revenue resulting from the pandemic.

A statement released by News Corp said the community mastheads would "continue to publish digitally with reporters and photographers expanding News Corp's hyper-local news coverage for consumers across Australia".

News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said the decision to suspend printing of its community newspapers was not taken lightly.

He said News Corp remained committed to serving Australia's many communities with trusted, professional journalism.

The impact of COVID-19 on the community newspapers came on top of the toll on media from the refusal of digital platforms to pay publishers to use their content, Mr Miller said.

He said during the COVID-19 emergency News Corp's main priority was to preserve jobs and get the company in a strong position to counter the crisis.

"During this unprecedented time it is imperative that we reduce costs while continuing to keep the community informed and doing all we can to retain jobs," Mr Miller said.

"The print suspension will allow us to assess the shape of the market itself and future conditions, taking into account how the coronavirus situation unfolds in the coming period."

The statement also said News Corp would give community newspaper readers the opportunity to take up a free 28-day digital subscription.

The offer allows access to the websites, apps and mobile sites of News's metro mastheads the Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser.

Topics:media,print-media,journalism,rural-media,covid-19,diseases-and-disorders,business-economics-and-finance,australia,nsw,qld,vic,sa

First posted April 01, 2020 11:11:28

Read more from the original source:
News Corp to suspend 60 community newspapers across the country because of coronavirus - ABC News

MTN Rwanda has announced that is has put in place additional interventions to support the Governments efforts to communicate and raise awareness on precautionary measures to prevent and contain the spread of Covid-19.

Driven by the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, MTN has rolled out a series of mobile connectivity, digital and mobile fintech solutions for its communities.

MTNs priority is keeping people connected during this period. We need to play our part in the alleviation of the economic, social and educational impact through the support of key institutions such as Health, ICT and Education, said MTN CEO, Mitwa Ngambi.

The company, through its Foundation, has donated Frw 10 million to Rwanda Biomedical Centre to support them as they work tirelessly to stop the spread of the virus and has offered free MTN calls among health workers for a period of 90 days.

MTN has also availed free media channel space (radio, TV, social media, SMS, Ring Back Tone, IVR platform) to promote the Ministry of Healths sensitization messages.

In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of ICT and Innovation, MTN has made online access to Rwandan universities and school websites free to allow students to access in house learning materials.

Students can access https://elearning.reb.rw/, https://elearning.ur.ac.rw/ and https://elearning.rp.ac.rw/ at any time without consuming any data.

We know how important it is to support continued learning for students during this period when institutions of learning are closed. To this end, we have zero-rated some educational websites to enable learners to access core curriculum materials and facilitate distance learning, she added.

In a bid to better serve customers in this period and beyond, MTN through its Digital platforms, recently announced that it has also increased the daily limit on Airtime Transfer (Me2U) from Rwf 3,000 to Rwf 6,000 as well as increased the airtime account balance limit from Rwf 500,000 to Rwf 1,000,000.

In cooperation with the Central Bank of Rwanda to drive cashless payments, MTN Rwanda recently waived fees on sending money to others, on all transactions from Banks to MoMo wallets and vice versa, as well as payments for goods and services using MoMoPay for a period of 90 days.

Social distancing amongst other precautionary interventions has undoubtedly increased the importance of communities staying digitally connected. In light of this, MTN has seen a spike in Internet traffic.

Indicating how the company plans to deal with the upsurge in online traffic and network load, Mrs. Ngambi said, We have noted an increase in internet traffic, almost doubling in residential areas due to the current situation. We have taken immediate actions to optimize and expand the existing network resources to accommodate the increase in demand over the coming weeks.

A key priority for MTN is to ensure business continuity. Services over this time will be even more critical, so priority is ensuring network continuity, availability of spares and equipment and the upgrading of capacity.

MTN Rwanda has taken a series of precautionary measures to ensure continuity of services and the safety of its stakeholders including employees, customers, communities and suppliers against the outbreak.

All recommended and necessary prevention mechanisms have been put in place in all MTN touchpoints.

A work-from-home plan for employees has been implemented in order to reduce the number of employees in offices and Service Centres at a given time and provisioning of hand sanitizers and temperature screening at all points.

Franchisees, Agents and Suppliers/Service Providers have also been guided to ensure that they are taking the same precautionary and preventative measures.

Customers can seek MTN services through the call centre by dialling 100, visit the Service Centres from 8am to 3pm or engage MTN agents that remain operational to ensure continued Mobile Money and airtime service delivery.

To curb the spread of Covid-19, Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Authority (RURA) has put in place measures for Agents to adhere to when conducting transactions with customers.

MTN Mobile Money and Airtime Agents must wear gloves and masks at all times and keep a 1 metre distance from customers.

They are not allowed to work under the same umbrella/station nor exchange mobile devices. Agents who violate these set guidelines will be subject to penalties which may include closure of their businesses.

MTN Rwandas top priorities are to keep our customers connected and our employees safe and healthy. We stand ready to leverage our core expertise, technology and infrastructure to support and align our response with the efforts of the Government to contain and mitigate the spread of Covid-19, Mrs. Ngambi said.

Original post:
MTN Rwanda Ramps Up Efforts to Support Communities In The Fight Against Covid-19 - Taarifa Rwanda

Here at Townsquare Media, we want to help Keep Texarkana Moving. Texarkana is our home and we want to help get the word out about businesses that are staying open for business during the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak. If you are healthy, please join us in supporting these businesses.

Unfortunately, hair and nail salons in Arkansas have had to close due to Governor Asa Hutchinson and hair and nail salons, barbershops and tattoo parlors on the Texas side of Texarkana will close Thursday, March 26 at 11:59PM until further notice.

We are trying our best to make this list as accurate as possible so if you see that a business on the list is no longer open or you know of one that is open but not on our list, please let us know!

Ace Mobile Homes 5179 HWY 59 in Texarkana, Texas

Air Now Heating & Air Conditioningopen and operating business as usual.(903) 792-2665

AMERICAN Signs & Banners1813 Jim Walter Drive Texarkana Arkarkansas Open normal business hours(870) 772-0309

Arkansas Graphics: Arkansas Graphics is still open for business as normal.

Ark-La-Tex Healthcare1414 Arkansas Blvd.(870) 773-7246

Ashley HomeStore Free Garage Delivery for all in-store and phone orders now thru the end of March

Avis Budget Group: 305 Airport Drive, Texarkana Arkansas. Due to limited air travel, airport office closing early 3/18/20- 03/20/20. Open: 8am. Closing 6pm.(870) 773-1861

B & B Sewing and Vacuum Center - 2411 Texas Blvd Open Regular Business Hours M-F and Sat 10-1pm

Baymont Inn & Suites on State Line Ave is open 24 hours

Bearded Brothers Customs and Detailing302 Hickory building 1 Open forauto details, minor mechanic work, window tinting and electronic install.(870) 279-4331 or (903) 255-8341

Brooke HashKeepin' it Clean Cleaning services! Available for quotes and cleanings!870-703-4018

Blue Gorilla Garage- 6905 Alumax Rd. Texarkana, Texas.

Central Mall Monday-Saturday 11AM to 7PM. On Sundays, the mall will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m

Century 21 All Points Realty - is open for business. Their lobby is closed to the public with appointment only but all agents are working remotely

Chubby Cheeks Liquor- open 9AM- !2AM Monday -Saturday. 820 Realtor Road, Texarkana Arkansas.(870) 772-0613

Classic Auto Park- 4333 Mall Drive Texarkana, Texas. Open M S 9AM - 6PM

Classic Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 1102 Walton Drive Texarkana Texas. Open M S 9AM - 6PM

Classic Kia 902 Walton Drive Open M S 9AM - 6PM

Commercial National Bank: Commercial National Bank is open with drive-thru services. Banking needs that cannot be accommodated in this manner will be available by appointment only by calling 870-773-4561.

The Computer Hut: Can help others to set up their remote work station at home. bcromer@comphut.com 903-278-2474

Connections Learning Center/Lil Tykes Tutoring is offering one on one mobile tutoring for children ages Kinder-12th grade

Cool Tanz and Spa Arkansas Blvdand Richmond Road a is open with amended hours 11-7 mon-fri and 12-5 sat-sun

Cranford Land Management(903) 293-5567

Custom Diesel and RV - 5736 E. 9th St. Texarkana Arkansas regular hours

Castle Family Dental- 3210 Richmond Road Texarkana Texas Open normal business hours(903) 832-3146

Dog Patch Pet Shop - 5031 W. Park Road, Texarkana Texas Open for Pet Food and supplies 9AM - 5:30(903) 792-5697

Edible Arrangements 4501 North Stateline Open 9a-7p Monday -Friday, Saturday 9a-5p Sundays 10a-3p (903) 306-0177

Elara Caring - providinga wide-range of in-home clinical services with focus on recovery, rehabilitation and health education.of home-based careABlair@Elara.com

Elite Mechanical Heat and Air Services in Fouke is open.(870) 653-6649

Emma's Grand Divine CreationsCookie Shop2411 N. Stateline AveTexarkana, Texas. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. until 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. until sold out. Hours are subject to change.

Firmin's Office City: We are open and taking and delivering orders.(903) 793-5566

Garretts Sporting Goods at 3102 Richmond Road is open.(903) 293-0505

Giles Body Shop, 320 S Kings Hwy, Texarkana Texas 903-831-3546 open Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm

Gregg Orr Marine4021 Mall Drive Texarkana, Texas - Open M S 9AM - 6PM

Gregg Orr Extreme - 941 N. Constitution Ashdown, Arkansas Open M - S 9AM - 6PM

Hampton by Hilton at 5302 Crossroads Parkway in Texarkana, Arkansas(870) 774-4267.

HK Electric - in Nash, Texas(903) 831-2306

H&N Landscaping / Nursery/ Floral and Gift shop 7801 North Stateline Texarkana Texas Hours Monday - Friday 8-5 Saturday8-3 (903) 792-0831

Jacksons Almost Everything - 715 N. Stateline Texarkana Texas(903) 792-7929

Jr. Building Supplies101 S. Robinson Road(430) 200-0497

Ledwell Machinery - 910 Eastloop Drive, Texarkana Texas(903) 838-6531

Ledwell Office Solution3200 Court Street Texarkana Texas (903) 794-3113

Michaels Crafts Store3401 Mall Drive Texarkana, Texas(903) 223-1152

Micah's Jewelers. 2812 Richmond Road. They are offering pick up and delivery if needed for any jewelry repair.(903) 735-2336

Northeast Texas Small Business Development Center: Offices will be open beginning Monday, March 23

Painting with a Twist - 2700 Richmond Road is currently open. They are keeping all open classes at 10reservations or less.(903) 244-7879

Pet Passages- 10178 Hwy 71 in Fouke Arkansas. Crematorium and funeral home for pets is open(870) 653-2458

Post Acute Medical Specialty Hospital of Texarkana2400 St. Micael Drive is open and will remain so. Offering acute care hospitalization for patients in the Ark-La-Tex.(903) 614-7600

Perfume Boutique in Central Mall is open Monday - Saturday 11 am- 7 pm. Sunday 12.30 pm- 6 pm.903-223-5298

Queen City Tire and Roadside - Open If you need any help they will come to you or you can pull in and they will come to you and fix your tires. They have a service truck. Call (903) 908-4949

Red River Sanitors Janitorial Cleaning Texarkana Texas (318) 572-7520

Reliance Mechanical Contractors - HVAC, Plumbing, & Piping 1001 Alumax Road Texarkana, Texas(903) 223-0946

RnR Tire Express 3905 New Boston Road, Open Monday -Friday 9AM-6PM Saturdays 9-5, closed Sunday

Sammys Doggie Daycare and Boarding located 3101 West Main Street, Atlanta,Texas.(903) 799-7700

Shelby's Service Center 2003 College Dr is open Monday-Friday 7:30-5:30

Smiles of Arkansas Dental Centers- all locations are postponing regular appointments. Only accepting urgent and emergency care patients through March 31. Call one of their locations if you have an emergency or question.

Singing Telegrams of Arkansas is still delivering to Texarkana and offering $25 off all delivery services(870) 221-1557

Super Splash Car Wash Arkansas Blvd. Open Monday- Saturday 9AM- 4PM weather permitting.

SWBC Mortgage: 3101 Kennedy Lane Suite 200 Open with normal hours. (903) 223-5632

Tammie Flanagan Luthringer Physical Therapy and Wellness(903) 277- 9424

Texarkana Tent & Awning 605 Texas Blvd. (903) 794-2911

Texarkana Tractor -7478 Hampton Road Texarkana Texas. Open normal business hours M-F 8a 5p andSaturday 8a - noon(903) 838-4377

If you are a business that is open please let us know by texting us at the link below. This list will be updated daily.

See the rest here:
Updated: 'Keep Texarkana Moving' - These Businesses Are Open - kkyr.com

COVID-19 has only been around for a few months, so at this point scientists don't know that much about it. But more is being learned every day.

We now know, for example, it can live on surfaces for up to nine days and survives in the air for a few hours. We also now know that the virus particles are shed through saliva and fluids coughed up from the lungs. And that the virus can also be shed from our faeces.

It's easy for an infected person to spread the virus particles through coughing, touching other people or leaving the virus on surfaces.

Undoubtedly, hand-washing after being in public spaces is key to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But what should we be doing in our homes to eliminate it?

Two recent studies have investigated how long coronaviruses survive on different surfaces. The research looked at a number of different viruses including SARS-CoV-2 the coronavirus that has caused COVID-19. And it found that the survival times varied according to the type of surface.

The virus survived for longest on stainless steel and plastic for up to nine days. The shortest survival times of one day was for paper and cardboard.

Table of time surviving in air and on surfaces. (Lena Ciric)

The amount of virus particles during this time does reduce, but it's worrying that the particles can last for days rather than hours or minutes on a surface.

So, how good are the cleaning products already in your cupboards at killing SARS-CoV-2? There is some good news in the list below.

Soap and water are your first line of defence to remove the virus from surfaces. Soap interferes with the fats in the virus shell and lift the virus from surfaces and this is then rinsed off by water.

Of course, you also need to wash your hands when you come in from the shops and wash your food as normal.

The active ingredient in bleach sodium hypochlorite is very effective at killing the virus. Make sure you leave the bleach to work for 10-15 minutes then give the surface a wipe with a clean cloth.

The bleach works by destroying the protein and what's known as the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of the virus this is the substance that gives the blueprint for making more virus particles when you become infected. Be sure to use the bleach as directed on the bottle.

Surgical spirit is mostly made up of the alcohol ethanol. Ethanol has been shown to kill coronaviruses in as little as 30 seconds. Like bleach, the alcohol destroys the protein and RNA that the virus is made up of.

Moisten a cloth with some neat surgical spirit and rub it over a surface. This will evaporate and you will not need to wipe it off.

The active ingredient in surface wipes is an antiseptic usually benzalkonium chloride. The wipes work by physically removing germs through the pressure you apply when you use them, and the germs then attach to the wipe.

They also leave a layer of the antiseptic on the surface that works to kill germs. The antiseptic works well on bacteria as well as on coronaviruses that infect mice and dogs but it seems to make no difference to the spread of human coronavirus.

Antiseptics work by disrupting the fats in pathogen cells, but SARS-CoV-2 does not contain many fats. So far, there is no evidence that antiseptics can kill human coronaviruses.

A word of warning though about hand sanitisers. The main ingredient in hand sanitisers that will kill SARS-CoV-2 is ethanol, the alcohol in surgical spirit. But its concentration in the sanitiser is very important it has to be over 70 percent or it will not kill the virus effectively.

One thing you can also do is make sure you air out the spaces you are spending time in regularly. An infected person will produce thousands of tiny droplets which contain the virus every time they cough.

SARS-CoV-2 can survive in the air for up to three hours. So by opening the window, you can remove and disperse the droplets and reduce the amount of virus in the air which will reduce the risk of infection for others.

We are living in uncertain times but it's reassuring to know that we have some weapons we can use to fight COVID-19 in our homes.

The bottom line: keep washing your hands, use 70 percent hand sanitiser, dust off the bleach and open a window to let in the spring air.

Lena Ciric, Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering, UCL.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

See more here:
Cleaning Products Can Kill The COVID-19 Virus. Here's What to Use in Your House - ScienceAlert

Trying times call for innovative solutions.

Rather than close up shop and send everyone home, which is what most businesses are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Next Level Window Cleaning of Kelowna has stepped it up.

We emailed all our past clients and everyone we know to let them know were still open for business, said owner Brandon Gawdun.

And rather than just do the typical special offer, we decided for every window cleaning booked in March we would donate $29 to the B.C. Schizophrenia Society, because mental health is so important.

To comply with social distancing and the fact people dont want outsiders in their homes right now, Next Level has suspended all indoor window cleaning.

But we can certainly do all our regular outdoor services like exterior window washing, gutter cleaning, moss treatments (on roofs), pressure washing and soft wash, said Gawdun.

And its been going very well. I have two crews of two guys each out right now, which is the same as I had last year in March. Hiring is going ahead to add two more crews next month.

Next Level follows all WorkSafeBC and Canadian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Payment can be arranged by phone or email when you book an appointment at LiveNextLevel.ca so window cleaners can simply arrive and do the work without having to knock on your door.

Demand for house washing and deck cleaning with pressure washing and soft wash has gone up with the pandemic.

The solution used in such washes is hot water, detergent and bleach a cleaning and disinfecting that kills all viruses, including the novel coronavirus.

Weve actually pivoted with our soft wash truck to offer not just residential washes, but washes for grocery stores and pharmacies that want outdoor washes, said Gawdun.

A soft wash or pressure wash typically costs $300 to $350, outdoor window cleaning averages $200 to $250, moss treatment usually runs $500 and gutter cleaning costs $200.

With people spending more time at home and controlling what they can control, window cleaning has really come to the forefront, said Gawdun.

Its part of having a calm, healthy, clean home that promotes feeling good and good mental health.

That puts a lot of onus on window cleaning, along with the indoor cleaning, decluttering and organizing people may be doing with more time on their hands at home during COVID-19 isolation.

Im optimistic if we come together as a community and follow all government protocols quickly and strictly, as tough as they may be, we can overcome this rough time together and enjoy a beautiful Okanagan summer on the other side of it, said Gawdun.

This too shall pass. Stay positive my friends.

Read the original:
Window cleaner finds way to thrive during slowdown - The Daily Courier

MACON, Ga. We at 13WMAZ want to support our small business community during what could be a difficult time due to the COVID-19 outbreak. That's why we're spotlighting those who are still "Open for Business," and operating in a safe manner.

This is the time of year when you may be thinking of cleaning up the outside of your home or business.

A Central Georgia company is still "open for business" and is taking that deep clean a step further.

The Window Guys is an exterior cleaning company. They clean siding, windows, concrete and gutters.

Now they're adding playgrounds to that list.

Owner Chris Belflower and his five person crew are donating their cleaning services to all Macon-Bibb public elementary school playgrounds.

They cleaned four playgrounds on Friday and have 16 more to do.

The goal is to give students a nice, fresh and clean place to play when they eventually return to school.

"In times like this it's just really important to stay positive, try to keep momentum going as a leader of your business and a leader of your team, make sure you're sending a positive message to your employees and your community," Belflower said.

If you'd like to learn more about The Window Guys, you can call 478-216-8468 or follow them on their Facebook page.

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FACTS NOT FEAR|At 13WMAZ, were focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the coronavirus. To see our full coverage, visit our site section here: http://www.13wmaz.com/Coronavirus.

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Open for Business | The Window Guys - 13WMAZ.com