Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Calif. Chicken Plant Closes For Cleaning; Georgia Extends Restrictions on Businesses
CBS News: California Chicken Plant To Temporarily Close After 8 COVID Deaths
Foster Farms on Tuesday night plans to close its chicken processing plant in Livingston, California, for a week of cleaning, bowing to an edict from county public health officials who ordered the closure after eight workers died of COVID-19 and 392 tested positive. The company will shut down the processing plant until Monday evening, September 7, for two rounds of deep cleaning and two rounds of COVID-19 testing for all 1,400 people employed at the facility, Foster Farms said in a statement issued over the weekend. (Gibson, 8/31)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp Extends Virus Restrictions As Ga. Gains Ground In Pandemic Fight
Gov. Brian Kemp extended a sweep of coronavirus restrictions Monday that chart out how businesses can operate during the pandemic as Georgia’s fight to contain the disease showed new signs of progress. Kemp’s 49-page order continues to ban gatherings of more than 50 people unless social distancing is in force, and it requires Georgians in long-term care facilities or those deemed “medically fragile” to shelter in place. (Bluestein, 8/31)
AP: Ducey Pushes Flu Vaccine Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and public health officials on Monday urged people to get a flu vaccine as soon as possible, warning hospitals face potential overcrowding with flu patients while still trying to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Free vaccines will be made available to people who are uninsured or underinsured, Ducey said, and the state will increase payments to health care providers who vaccinate people on Arizona’s Medicaid plan in hopes of increasing availability of the vaccine. (9/1)
AP: Detroit Turns Island Park Into COVID-19 Memorial Garden
A Detroit island park was transformed Monday into a drive-thru COVID-19 victims memorial as policy makers across the U.S. moved forward with plans to reopen schools and public spaces. Hearses led processions around Belle Isle Park in the Detroit River, where more than 900 large photos of local coronavirus victims provided by relatives were turned into posters and staked into the ground. (9/1)
In other news —
Dallas Morning News: Irving Police Pledged To Improve Their Response To Mental Health Calls — Here’s How They Did It
The Irving Police Department said it has fulfilled a pledge to improve how it responds to people with mental illness. The pledge is part of the One Mind Campaign, launched by the the International Association of Chiefs of Police to help officers better understand mental illness and strengthen their interactions with people with mental illness. (Bahari, 8/31)
The Washington Post: Virginia, Ikea Give $4M To Boost Legal Aid Services For Residents Facing Eviction
Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday unveiled a $4 million initiative to expand legal services to Virginians facing eviction amid the coronavirus pandemic, an effort partly bankrolled by a foundation established by retailer Ikea. The Legal Services Corporation of Virginia, which funds and oversees the work of nine regional Legal Aid programs across the state, will use the money to hire and support 20 Legal Aid attorneys for the next two years. (Vozzella, 8/31)
