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County leaders met today at the courthouse for a teleconference about
the most recent updates on the pandemic in Kentucky. |
Here is an update outlining the ever-evolving situation in Marion and Crittenden County with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press for more critical information. Subscribe to the full e-edition or the traditional printed edition Click Here.
SCHOOLS
Crittenden County Schools are closed through March 27. Meantime, students will be operating on alternative learning programs, commonly known as Rocket Way Learning Day or Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI). If students complete the required work at home, they will not have to make up these days at the end of the school year.
Each student in grades 2-12 have been issued a Chromebook for NTI. The school district says the electronic tablets should be handled with care, but if something happens to the Chromebook or it becomes inoperable, the student may call their respective schools for assistance. If the Chromebook is broken or damaged, parents are responsible for the cost of repairs, which vary depending on the problem.
On Monday, the last day of school, students should have downloaded lessons onto their Chromebooks and changed the operating setting to “make available to work offline.” By doing this, students may work on lessons without internet service. Once the student encounters WiFi access, the work will upload – even if that is not until the return to school. Some resources have supplementary links and web-based resources, and some teachers may choose to post Google Hangout lessons in real time. While it’s not necessary that students access these Internet-based activities, here are some locations that offer free WiFi, if you or your student has the means to travel there: Parking lot at Crittenden County Public Library, parking lots at any of the schools (the closer to the building the stronger the signal is likely to be), parking lot at Marion Baptist Church and McDonald’s restaurant.
The district will providing a free food program for students on weekdays while school is out. Lunches will be served every weekday, from 11 a.m., until noon. Parents or students can drive to the back of the Crittenden County Elementary School campus, near the cafeteria doors to pick up meals. A staff member will deliver the sack lunches, including a breakfast item for the following morning, to the vehicle.
There will also be 40 locations across the county where food will be delivered between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. (CLICK HERE FOR LOCATIONS AND SCHEDULE). To request meal deliveries, call 270-965-5052.
School staff will be delivering the meals on school buses. The staff will be available to help students if they need to send schoolwork back to a teacher, request delivery of school or hygiene supplies or have Chromebook with problems that needs to be returned to the school.
Anyone needing the school’s Mountain Comprehensive Services should call the Princeton Clinic at 27-365–7684.
CHURCHES
Pastors and church leaders say it’s difficult to know what to do because they want to be responsible and not exacerbate the spread of the virus. They and many congregants know that in troubling times, people need their faith and the support of their church family more than ever.
Marion Baptist Church has cancelled Upward Basketball season and closed its Family Life Center, including the gym and walking track. The church has also ended on-site Wednesday evening activities; however, its offices remain open. Many other churches are following suit. Some are limiting their services to Sunday morning only.
Marion United Methodist Church asked churchgoers on Sunday to avoid hugging or shaking hands, but otherwise Sunday school and morning worship was routinely held. Each entrance way included a hand sanitizing station.
Many have online options, such as Facebook Live or YouTube broadcasts of their services. Pastors say that if congregants are concerned about being around others, they should stay home. Also, if they are sick they should stay home.
A handful of churches cancelled services last week, and church leaders at some of the larger congregations in Marion and Crittenden County say they will continue to monitor the situation and will make decisions as necessary about their services. Life in Christ Church announced Monday afternoon that it is cancelling its revival worship services Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the church. It and other churches say they will continue to evaluate the situation and make decisions regarding Sunday worship later this week. Some have already cancelled worship.
FOOD & RESTAURANTS
After the governor issued an order for bars and restaurants to close by 5 p.m., on Monday, most local made arrangements for continued service through carryout and delivery. Some may be offering special options for their customers, such as curbside carryout and drop-off delivery at prescribed locations.
Local groceries remain fairly well stocked other than on items such as sanitizing hand gel and toilet paper. Some were having a bit of trouble keeping bread on the shelves, particularly white bread. Wheat bread seems to be staying on shelves a bit longer, as are most healthier type foods.
CHILDCARE
Gov. Andy Beshear has asked childcare centers to develop a plan for closure that they could enact within 72 hours and he is asking Kentucky hospitals to cancel all elective procedures by the middle of this week to allow for extra capacity to treat those with the virus.
Locally, Jonathan James, who operates Bright Beginnings childcare center on U.S. 60 West, said the facility will remain open unless forced to close by governing authorities.
“We have been contacted by the state licensing authority and Livingston County and surrounding areas and asked to be willing to care for children of essential workers such as doctors, nurses, EMTs etc.,” James said. “We have been inundated with calls from parents with school age children desperate to find care. We are currently running at full capacity and have petitioned the state to waive capacity limits so that we can meet the need.”
James said that as a means to be proactive in fighting the virus, the daycare center is following all state licensing requirements as to cleaning and disinfecting.
“Further, we are cleaning as much as possible common areas and surfaces and continually checking children for any signs of illness. Our policy is to send home children who have certain symptoms, fever being on that list. We are aware that this virus is different and are doing all we can to prevent it’s spread while maintaining a vital service to our community,” he said.
CITY HALL
Due to evolving concerns related to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the City of Marion on Tuesday will until further notice close Marion City Hall and all other city buildings to visitors. City of Marion employees will continue to report to work, and departments will remain active. Mayor Jared Byford said the city intends to maintain essential functions and services at full capacity.
Any payments may be delivered to the city’s drop box located outside of city hall.
“The City of Marion request that residents and other individuals seeking to attend to city-related business do so remotely when possible, online, by phone or through the mail, or delay any business that requires in-person interaction with City of Marion employees until a future date,” the mayor said in a news released issued Monday.
Individuals encountering urgent, time-sensitive situations requiring the city attention are advised to contact the appropriate department to determine if an accommodation can be made.
“As there are no confirmed or presumptive cases of coronavirus in Marion at this time, this measure is precautionary, and is intended to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus locally and avoid widespread disruptions to city services,” Byford said.
The city will closely monitor the status of coronavirus locally to determine when City buildings can be safely re-open to the public.
As of early this week, Crittenden County Courthouse was operating as normal. County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said
POLICING
Local authorities say patrols will continue and keeping the community safe remains the top priority of the Marion Police Department and Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department.
The police department’s lobby is closed, the chief said, because it’s too small to maintain social distancing protocol.
CRITTENDEN JAIL
Jailer Robbie Kirk says Crittenden County Detention Center is taking a number of precautions, some mandated by the Department of Corrections, others in-house to protect staff.
There are no transfers within the corrections system statewide, Kirk said, and because Kentucky has shut down its court system, there are no inmates going out to court. As of early this week, however, federal court was still being held.
“We had two federal inmates out to court Monday in Paducah and Nashville,” Kirk said.
Inmates whose sentences have been fulfilled will be released from jail, but there will be no transfers within the corrections systems, that includes inmates who may be scheduled for a scale-down to a lesser restrictive facility such as a halfway house.
The jail’s work release program is partly shutdown due to concern over spreading the coronavirus. Those programs where inmates would commonly come into person-to-person contact with the public has ceased, Kirk said. Those include custodial staff at a number of public facilities, including the courthouse, and assistance for public works centers and programs like the garbage convenience center and county food bank.
All incoming inmates are being isolated for a full 14 days before they are put into the general jail population, the jailer explained.
There is no personal contact between inmates and anyone outside the jail. Lawyers are being provided a private phone line to speak with clients inside the jail.
The jail was holding 208 inmates as of Monday. That is more than a half dozen fewer than normal. Kirk said statewide police forbidding transfers within the corrections system is preventing him from keeping the jail full, which could affect the bottom line if this situation persists.
“We don’t know what this will be like next week,” Kirk said. “We don’t even know what it will look like by the end of the day.”
SENIOR CENTER
In response to Gov. Beshear’s recommendation last week that senior centers temporarily close, Crittenden County Senior Center was closed starting this week.
The temporary closure of senior centers across Kentucky to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the governor said.
All nine senior centers in the Pennyrile Region are shuttered until at least March 27. Alternate service delivery methods will be implemented. After two weeks, officials will reevaluate the situation.
In-home services will continue to be provided as well as transportation services. All in-home service staff are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines. An alternate plan will be implemented for providing meals on wheels and meals to the congregate clients (“drive thru” meals). Call your local senior center for further information and to make reservations for “drive thru” meals. The number in Marion (270) 965-5229. Meals on Wheels program, for home delivery, requires application.
Crittenden County has about 35 Meals on Wheels clients and on Monday 14 “drive thru” meals were provided by the center.
LIMITED COURT
In an effort to minimize social interaction in Kentucky’s busy courthouses and judicial centers, the Supreme Court of Kentucky has issued an order placing restrictions on dockets, jury trials and jury service through April 10.
Courthouses and judicial centers will remain open and offer limited services. However, trials, hearings and motions will be postponed and rescheduled, according to the order.
The order affects District Court, Circuit Court and Family Court. Only emergency hearings will be heard during this order and it’s likely those could be heard remotely.
Crittenden County Circuit Court Clerk’s office is operating on a limited basis. To limit in-person exposure, call the clerk’s office with your questions at 270-965-4200. As of early this week, driver’s license testing remained on schedule for Friday.
COLLEGES
In response to the COVID-19 concerns, West Kentucky Community and Technical College has cancelled in-person classes and is using remote learning. Remote learning occurs when students and instructors cannot meet in a traditional classroom. Information is typically transmitted via technology such as email, discussion board, videos, audio, etc. Students will be receiving additional information about classes from their instructors.
•Madisonville Community College has transitioned all of its in-person and hybrid classes to online delivery through March 27. Students can expect emailed instructions on accessing their online instruction. Depending on the program and at the discretion of faculty, some off-campus clinical instruction may occur. For now, one computer lab will remain open on the North Campus.
•Murray State is on spring break this week. Beginning on Monday, March 23, class instruction will continue through online or alternative delivery methods, but not face-to-face instruction is planned through April 5 at Murray State or any of its regional campuses. While residence halls remain open, the university is urging students to go home and remain there if at all possible. All campus activities and non-essential resource buildings such has gyms, wellness centers, Racer Area and Lovett Auditorium are closed.
•Western Kentucky University has extended its spring break through this week. Students were also on break last week. Beginning next week, classes for WKU students will be transitioned to online or alternate delivery methods. As with other universities, non-essential services will be closed.
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NO POSITIVE TESTS IN CRITTENDEN
