WCBI News at Ten - March 17, 2020

Video Credit: WCBI
Published on March 18, 2020 -
WCBI News at Ten - March 17, 2020

WCBI News at Ten - March 17, 2020

2 the threat of the coronavirus is having a major impact on nursing homes... many of the homes in our area are on lock down and have put restrictions on visitation..

This means some aren't able to physically see or interact with their loved ones anymore.... our quentin smith speaks with a columbus woman directly touched by this policy change..

He joins us in the studio with her story..

Scott..

Imagine being able to visit your loved one in a nursing home every day... then suddenly..

That changes... you're told you can't see them them because you're no longer allowed inside the facility... that's the harsh reality that many are now facing... and to make things worse... things are likely to remain this way for the foreseeable future..

Nat warm laughter and conversation over a facetime call.

This is the only way arleen weatherby can now see and interact with her mom.

" i'm so emotional about it right now i feel like i've let my mom down, because she depends on me to come, and when i'm not there, or when i haven't been there for a day or two, she'll say, where have you been.

I can only imagine now what she's feeling."

See, her mom is a patient at vineyard court nursing home.

When weatherby went for her daily visit last week, she found out she's no longer allowed to see her mom because of visitation restrictions surrounding covid- 19... information she's still having a hard time processing.

" oh this has been very hard.

I don't sleep at night because i'm constantly were wondering if my mom is ok" it's been five days since weatherby has seen her mom, and the uncertainty of not knowing when she'll be able to see her again just makes the situation worse.

"i miss my mom, and i know she misses me.

I think that depression and loneliness from me not coming every day or one of my family members not coming would kill her quicker than the coronavirus."

Weatherby is also worried that the visitation restrictions are preventing her mom from getting all the care she deserves.

"i got a phone call today from my mothers hospice and they were informing me that vineyard court told them from their corporate office i believe, that they could no longer come in there.

I have a problem because it's an rn and a cna who comes in to give her extra care that she needs, and vineyard court has yet to call me to say that the hospice is not coming."

Weatherby says she understands the extra measures nursing homes are taking during the coronavirus outbreak.

However, she believes their should be an exemption granting family members access to still check in on their loved ones.

" i think the ones who are the power of attorneys or the first person of contact should be allowed to come in maybe once or twice a week so that we can be reassured that our family member is doing fine."

On friday..

The federal government issued new guidance prohibiting all non-essential visits to nursing homes all across the country.... we reached out to vineyard court, the declined to give a comment.

With nursing homes not allowing visitors at this time, many workers find themselves thinking outside the box to boost resident morale.

At windsor place in columbus, they're keeping patients entertained by playing various games such as bingo and solitaire.

Activities director kymi thompson says they also allow residents to call and facetime their family and friends.

Thompson says the lack of visitors can be tough, that's why she tries to come up with new ways to help everyone get through this difficult time.

" it's been a challenge, but you just got to get in there and do it, because some things may not work, then some things may work.

Every resident is different.

What works for psalm may not work for others, so we're figuring it out, and the move seems to be pretty good, everybody seems to be in good spirits right now."

Thompson says they're being careful to follow all of recommendations from the cdc such as social distancing and not gathering in large groups.

Take vo in monitor another group that is at high risk are people with weakened immune systems..

Courtney ann jackson travelled to leake county to meet a family who knows all too well what that means..

Andrew mccall is a 14 year old boy who loves baseball and the mississippi state bulldogs.

But his immune system is far from normal.

"he has no reserves as the doctor says to get any kind of illness, any kind of virus, even to get dehydrated a little bit is bad on him.

He goes back into the hospital."

The hospital is where we first met andrew and his family in 2014.

He was receiving treatments for leukemia.

He's in remission now.

But the rsv, pneumonia and multiple organ failure he experienced last year continue to weaken him.

"anything in the world can happen to him.

He can get the least little ole thing and he's on the verge of falling over the edge and dying."

Because of that, his dad perry is living in a constant state of heightened awareness.

"is this the day i'm giving it to him?

And that's what you live with.

You can go out that door.

When i go to work, when i go out in the world, i come back...is this the day i'm bringing it home?"

The mccalls adjusted to a version of a new normal long ago- limiting exposure and sanitizing everything.

But in the midst of the coronavirus concerns--- "it's going to be andrew or it's going to be an andrew that this is going to get.

And you don't know if you're carrying."

For those of you who are frustrated you're being asked to stay in, the mccalls say this.

"a week ago, it is absolutely defendable that you do not know that.

If you do not know it now, it is willful ignorance or worse willful disregard to humanity."

"i don't want to have to stay inside either but i am to protect my son."

Courtney ann jackson, wcbi news the area's only homeless shelter is feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The tupelo salvation army is offering to go plates for lunch and dinner, all seated dining in the community center has been halted for the time being.

Major ray morton says staff are working hard cleaning the facility.

He also says demand for space in the homeless shelter has increased, as many people heed the warnings to stay away from public places and crowds.

The major says there will be an increased need for other services, as people face uncertain times with their jobs over business shutdowns related to the coronavirus.

"part of the increased demand right now, people are nervous and afraid, maybe if you were staying with someone you found yourself not welcomed there, because of the fear, and while we want to encourage people to be safe that is leading to increase demand, people are more in need of food now, in need of sheltering in need of a lot of different things."

Morton says there are many local agencies stepping in to help.

He also says there will be a need for donations to the salvation army and other agencies as more people need help and services during these uncertain times.

First look stinger first look tuesday night: variably cloudy evening with clouds filling back in a bit overnight.

Lows in the upper 50s.

Light and variable winds.

Wednesday & thursday: partly to mostly cloudy and warmer.

Highs ranging from the upper 70s to lower 80s.

Overnight lows in the 60s.

Rain chances are going to be reasonably low but we can't rule out a few isolated showers and storms. lowndes county closes its lowndes county closes its recreation facilities until april 1st.

The board of supervisors met this morning to approve the temporary closure.

Parks director roger short says the opening date could be pushed back, if necessary.

Youth baseball and softball practices, soccer games and practices, classes and activities and park rentals are also suspended.

Facility rentals will be refunded.

This closure impacts all community centers, the soccer complex, and ball fields at lake lowndes.

Wipe to vo a day after suspending the smart routes in starkville, buses are back rolling again.

Starkville-msu area rapid transit says it will operate with limited service.

There will be one bus per route and they will run from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm every day, except sunday.

Only nine passengers will be allowed on the bus.

Service will stop from 11:30 to 12:30 for cleaning purposes.

Transportation to golden triangle regional airport will be based on flight schedules.

Off top wipe to vo get it to go// to help limit the amount of people in restaurants downtown eateries in starkville have coordinated a curbside service// restaurants in the downtown area now have reserved spots for customers to park and pick up their food// moe's owner says the restaurants are taking every precaution possible to ensure the health and safety of workers and the public// "we are starting our curbside delivery service which our mayor spruill has set up for us.

So we have designated parking spots out front you can call it in and we will run right out to you.

And yeah we are making it as easy as possible as we can."

Hebert says the restaurant is taking every precaution possible to make sure customers feel safe when visiting.

Wipe to vo starkville officials are also limiting exposure for city employees.

City hall will be closed to the public for the time being.

Starkville mayor lynn spruill tells wcbi they have gone down to essential staffing as of today, in an effort to limit traffic.

She says residents will only be able to pay their bills online, over the phone or through a drive through service.

031720-wipe to vo wipe to vo the coronavirus is dealing a double blow to columbus main street.

This spring's noon tunes concert series has been officially cancelled.

And the friendly city's largest event is postponed until september.

The 25th annual market street festival will now be held on september 11th and 12.

Hundreds of vendors participate in the festival that draws thousands of people to historic downtown columbus.

Organizers say they're following the guidelines from the cdc and are committed to making sure people here and those who would attend stay healthy.

Wipe to vo mississippi legislators suspend their session until at least april first because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Legislators say they are doing so on the advice of the state health officer.

Lawmakers will vote to give city and county governments and local school boards the power to pay hourly employees who cannot work during emergencies.

The mississippi board of education will have an online meeting thursday to consider a request from state superintendent of education carey wright.

She wants the board to suspend accountability standards for the current school year.

Stinger wx open summary: unseasonably mild air settles in for the next 2 days with highs expected to surpass 80 degrees in many spots.

Rain chances will remain low wednesday & thursday.

We'll have more rain and storms in the region on friday as a cold front presses into north mississippi and alabama.

Tuesday night: variably cloudy evening with clouds filling back in a bit overnight.

Lows in the upper 50s.

Light and variable winds.

Wednesday & thursday: partly to mostly cloudy and warmer.

Highs ranging from the upper 70s to lower 80s.

Overnight lows in the 60s.

Rain chances are going to be reasonably low but we can't rule out a few isolated showers and storms. friday: staying mild with highs in the lower 70s.

A cold front moving through the region will produce a good chance for showers and storms. a few strong storms can't be totally ruled out but it doesn't appear to be a major severe weather producer at this point.

We'll keep watching.

Weekend: some showers may linger saturday with another batch possible on sunday.

It's still unclear how wet the weekend may be but at first glance it doesn't appear to be a washout.

Cooler 60s and 50s return.

Follow summary: unseasonably mild air settles in for the next 2 days with highs expected to surpass 80 degrees in many spots.

Rain chances will remain low wednesday & thursday.

We'll have more rain and storms in the region on friday as a cold front presses into north mississippi and alabama.

Tuesday night: variably cloudy evening with clouds filling back in a bit overnight.

Lows in the upper 50s.

Light and variable winds.

Wednesday & stinger some good neighbors are helping area seniors, not only through the coronavirus outbreak, but all year..

We meet them when we come back..

Area grocery stores are having a hard time keeping the shelves stocked.

But just getting to the store can be a hardship on some of our older neighbors..

Couple that with advice to avoid crowds, and many seniors are finding it hard to just get by..

Our stephanie poole ran into two groups trying to help them out in these trying times..

In the midst of the covid-19 outbreak, there's one thing everyone is searching for...food.

Rudy johnson is the executive director for the golden triangle planning and development district.

He says his staff delivers meals to over 14- hundred elders per month.

And he's want to make sure they don't go hungry.

" it's our job to make sure that their home- delivered meals are there and they get the services they need."

He says the spread of coronavirus is changing the ways they'll communicate with the people they serve.

" we're going to limit the contact we have.

When they get there, the person will be called and we'll leave them on the porch and once they come out and get them the driver will leave.

So we won't have that personal contact with them.

" several churches also have programs where they deliver meals.

But with the recent outbreak, the senior pastor of living manna church, r.

H.

Brown says it's putting on strain what they can do.

" i feel like my hands are tied because there's such a great need now.

We serve approximately a hundred families per month, once a month.

My hands are tied because the numbers are growing and i get calls all the time and it's hard to meet the goals."

Brown says a food truck will make a delivery at the end of the month.

And he hopes it'll help reverse this problem.

" in the midst of the pandemic, we feel so, our hands are tied because of all the needs and we cannot handle it all.

We have a first come, first serve basis which makes it easy for us because we give everything out until it's gone so there's just a little bit left now.

We're going to make it through this, we have before."

Butt sots " we want to make sure that these people are taken care of that's our mission,that's what we do."

Take vo in monitor for more information on how you can donate, visit our website, wcbi-dot- com.

Stinger time to pack it up, and wait until the fall the s-e-c cancels spring athletics, more on the big decision...next in sports... the official announcement sports fans in the south did not want to hear.... the southeastern conference making the decision today to cancel the remainder of spring athletics in 2020 all spring regular season conference, nonconference, and championship events have been canceled because of the developments involving the coronavirus in addition to in- season athletics...the sec says all spring football games have been canceled, as well as school-hosted pro days practices and team meetings are still suspended until at least april 15th.... march madness would've officially began tonight.... in light of college basketball coming to an end, one last women's basketball poll has been released..

The final top ten for the 2020 season south carolina finishes at the #1 team in the country, followed by oregon mississippi state finsihing the 2020 season ranked #9, the bulldogs finishing in the top 15 for the sixth straight year, and inside the top ten for the fourth straight year in the end, five sec teams were ranked in the final top 25 mississippi state junior catcher mia davidson named sec co-player of the week for her performance last week against southern miss 4-4, two home runs, and a triple short of the cycle...setting a career high for hits in a single game davidson is the school record holder for career home runs with 52, which is also good for eighth among active players nationally.

For the first time in 20 nfl seasons, tom brady will not be a new england patriot news coming in arounf 10 minutes ago...brady has agreed in principle to sign with the tampa bay buccaneers....on a 30-million dollar deal daytime drama fans be sure to set your dvr's.... today's episode of young and the restless will air overnight tonight at one a-m// last look stinger last look

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