Top Health Experts Paint Bleak Picture of Pandemic – The New York Times

[singing] Singing: Oh, brother, I want you to keep on marchin. And one of these days, and one of these days, you shall be free. Albany, Ga., became an epicenter for Covid-19 in April. Hundreds of cases were traced to two funeral services, and led to one of the highest death rates in the country. It was like a tornado that nobody prepared for. Our churches werent prepared for it, and before we knew it, people were dropping like flies. Pastor Orson Burton lost members of his congregation in the surge, including his wifes father. I can see the park. You can see the park? But we cant go to the park. No. Its still not safe. No. Because the whole world is sick. Yeah, but were praying that the world gets better, right? On April 20, Gov. Brian Kemp announced small businesses could reopen less than three weeks after enforcing a statewide shutdown. For the Burtons, the restart is too soon. Already reopening opening is like a slap in the face. Weve seen how coronavirus can hit our city, our family, our church and it is not worth it. The harsh reality is, there is no more business as usual. Pastor Burton is now on a mission to prevent a second spike. Hes appealing to people who feel conflicted about returning to work. When the owner of the shop first told me, we can go back, I was excited. But that day, I thought about it in my head like, it dont feel right, you know? Yeah. It wasnt enough time to prepare yourself. Pastor Burton is doing outreach like this just about every day, with door-to-door visits and online sermons. My hope and my prayer is that youre still sheltering in place. And we know that even during this pandemic, God has given us resources. And hes not alone. Set up the emojis. Set up the praises. Make some room in that living room. Church leaders across the city are telling members to stay home through livestream videos and drive-in services. [car horns beeping] The virus has hit black residents here particularly hard. Some 30 black and white church leaders have united to remain closed, a decision they announced in this joint statement. We believe that it is in the best interest of our congregations and community that we not resume meeting at this time. The numbers did not indicate that it was time for our city to open. We knew that we just couldnt jump right back in like it was before and start gathering. No matter if your congregation is small or large black, white, Hispanic doesnt matter, were in the same storm. The pastors efforts have been reinforced by the city mayor, who helped pass a resolution encouraging residents to keep sheltering in place. I was a little concerned because I was thinking the ministers are going to say, we need to be back in church. The overwhelming response was, we are not going to resume worship services in our sanctuary until we have a green light from the medical community. Dr. James Black heads the emergency department at Phoebe Putney Medical Memorial, the only hospital in the Albany region. Its been absolutely essential to have the clergy supporting us. They realized the importance of social distancing. While he has seen a decline in cases, the speed of the initial spread makes him wary of a rush to reopen. It took us no time at all to get to 160 Covid patients in the hospital, so were afraid of a second wave. Were just not over it yet. The fact that places are being allowed to reopen is a scary prospect for a lot of us. The shutdown has devastated small business owners throughout southwest Georgia. Dougherty County, where Albany is located, has experienced a 4,500 percent hike in jobless claims since March. Many residents are now forced to decide between safety and their bottom line. At our salon in Albany Ga., we decided that we would go ahead and open up Friday after Governor Kemp said that we could. I am single and totally dependent on myself, and so far, I have not gotten a stimulus check because I am self-employed. I just didnt have a choice anymore. Some feel more conflicted, like Marcus Scott, who manages Masterpiece Barbershop. We will not reopen. I understand people have their financial situation, and what they have to deal with. However, just getting a phone call or hearing that this barber passed away because they went back to work I wouldnt be able to live with that. He has decided to keep his shop closed for now, but with the support of a local pastor. We, as the church, have decided to give each one of these barbers a certain amount of resources. For some of these barbers, this is their only income. Hey, Pastor. Hey, Sister, how are you? Im good. How are you? Pastor Orson Burton has seen the economic strain on his congregation. Now, how are you doing financially? How are you getting paid? Whats going on? Whats good with that? OK Im good at the unemployment. Everything has been falling in place. Be encouraged. Keep pushing forward, and know that were going to continue to stay with you and walk with you. Amen. As more members lose jobs and even return to work, he is doing whatever he can to make sure they move forward with caution. All right, man, God bless you. Yes, sir, thank you. I believe that if we mismanage this moment for the sake of reopening the economy and bringing in money, we can literally set our children and our childrens children back for generations to come. We just dont want to bury anybody else. We dont want to bury any more loved ones. We dont want to bury any more friends because of Covid-19. These are not numbers. These are souls. These are lives being lost. Weve been through so much. This is our time to make certain that the people are represented in rural south Georgia, but also to spread wisdom and information that will save a life.

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Top Health Experts Paint Bleak Picture of Pandemic - The New York Times