Fredericksburg Plans ‘Measured’ Approach To Reopening City

Beatrice J. Doty 3 weeks ago

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Fredericksburg officials are developing a plan to reopen the city government in response to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s announcement on Monday that the state will ease some restrictions on businesses and gatherings starting May 15. In the meantime, the city will continue to conduct most government services by telephone and electronic means.

The city’s plan to reopen will be a “very measured, phased-in approach” that is going to be based on data and focused on providing services to the community while keeping the health and safety of city employees and the public at the forefront, Fredericksburg Fire Chief Mike Jones said Tuesday in a video statement.

“We’ve got to make sure that we keep a well workforce, that we keep them available for you, and we’ve got to make it safe so when the time comes in the future for you to be able to access

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Yuba, Sutter open despite Newsom’s stay-at-home order. How they could be a model for others

Beatrice J. Doty 3 weeks ago

A Yuba City hair salon is disinfecting the soles of clients’ shoes before allowing them inside.

A gym across town has tripled its cleaning staff, but isn’t requiring its members to wear masks.

An antique store in nearby Marysville is celebrating a kind of grand reopening with balloons and signs, hoping to entice wary customers.

In Yuba and Sutter counties, Monday was the first real day back to normal in weeks — almost.

The bi-county public health officer announced in a new health directive last week that a range of “lower risk” businesses could begin to reopen Monday, a move that defied Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide stay-at-home order meant to slow the coronavirus pandemic.

The argument? Yuba County and Sutter County combined had only 50 virus cases and three deaths as of Sunday. Its infection and death rates are considerably lower than the state’s overall rate. Combined with good

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Severe coronavirus is more likely if you neglect your health. Preventive care is key.

Beatrice J. Doty 3 weeks ago

As the novel coronavirus pandemic first reached California, a young man with fevers and difficulty breathing came to the hospital where I practice. He had been leading a seemingly healthy life. Within 24 hours, as he went into respiratory failure, I had to place him in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator. The rapidity of his progression was shocking, but this fast, clinical decline unfortunately proved to be a more routine occurrence in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infections. A striking commonality emerged for many of the sickest patients: They had undiagnosed, and thus untreated, chronic medical conditions.

Their severe conditions made one fact painfully clear: Preventive care in the best of times can reduce health risks in the worst of times. This might seem like the kind of lesson only a pandemic can teach, but seasonal influenza also preys annually on those with undiagnosed conditions. It is vitally

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Saks Focuses Digital Initiatives on Mental Health for May

Beatrice J. Doty 3 weeks ago

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Saks Fifth Avenue is getting ready to launch a digital mental health initiative as part of its “Saks at Home” campaign.

The mental health initiatives, which launch Tuesday, will highlight some of the organizations that Saks is partnering with in May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation aims to increase understanding of the issues around the topic, improve access to care and promote skills that build positive mental health.

On May 5, the charity spotlight will be Glenn Close’s organization Bring Change to Mind and will feature Close herself on Saks’ Instagram Stories. She will share information on her charity as well as some self-care tips on how to promote mental and emotional health during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will also speak about ways the community can help others.

On May 12, Hunter McGrady, a Curve model and

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