Oak Ridge Today

Museums, national park center closed

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The American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Museums and the national park welcome center in Oak Ridge are closed because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness that has infected more than 200,000 people in at least 144 countries around the world and killed more than 8,000 people.

The museums closed in Oak Ridge are the American Museum of Science and Energy, Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, K-25 History Center, Oak Ridge History Museum at Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den), and Y-12 History Museum at New Hope Center.

Also closed is the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Welcome Center at the Children’s Museum.

The AMSE bus tours are also not operating now.

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Governor asks all school districts to close

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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has asked all school districts in the state to close as soon as possible.

He expects all schools to close by Friday, March 20, at the latest.

It’s part of the state’s response to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.

“Schools should remain closed through March 31 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease, and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31,” Lee said in an announcement on Monday morning.

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Clinton Library programs canceled; curbside service announced

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Clinton Public Library
Clinton Public Library

The Clinton Public Library has canceled programs scheduled between March 13 and March 30, and a new Curbside Delivery service has been announced.

It’s part of a prevention and response plan that the library has developed in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Here is what the library is doing:

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Oak Ridge Senior Center, City Court closing; egg hunt canceled

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The Oak Ridge Senior Center will close today (Monday, March 16) due to COVID-19, and the City Court will be closed until Tuesday, March 31. The egg hunt scheduled for Saturday, April 4, will be canceled.

The Oak Ridge Recreation Center and Scarboro Community Center remain open for now, but Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said precautions are being taken to limit the risk of exposure.

“The public health situation is rapidly changing, here are the latest updates affecting city facilities,” Watson said in a message Friday:

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Governor declares state of emergency; first COVID-19 case diagnosed in Knox

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Note: This story was last updated at 7:10 p.m.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared a state of emergency to help treat and contain COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, and the first case has been diagnosed in Knox County.

The Knox County patient was exposed overseas and is an isolated case. The person has been in isolation and has not required hospitalization, according to the Knox County Health Department.

It’s a presumptive positive case, and local and state officials are waiting for confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Following standard public health protocols for infectious disease response, Knox County Health Department said its epidemiologists will work with the Tennessee Department of Health and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact and monitor anyone who may have been exposed to this isolated case. Eighteen cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, but it is not currently widespread in Knox County or the state.

“We understand the concern surrounding COVID-19, but we hope Knox County citizens can take some comfort in the fact that we were expecting a case, and that we routinely utilize extensive plans and national best practice to respond to all reportable infectious diseases in Knox County,” said KCHD Senior Director Dr. Martha Buchanan. “The most important thing the public can do is to follow the CDC guidance, which includes the standard hygiene practices we recommend to prevent the spread of flu and other viruses.”

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TN Dept. of Health authorizes testing for COVID-19 seven days per week

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The Tennessee Department of Health announced Sunday that it has authorized testing for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, seven days per week.

The testing is in response to growing concern about the virus and the illness it causes, the department said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how often the testing was authorized before.

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Updated: Two more coronavirus cases diagnosed in Tennessee

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Image courtesy Tennessee Department of Health/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Note This story was last updated at 11 p.m.

Two more cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus, have been diagnosed in Tennessee, bringing the total number of cases to three, the Tennessee Department of Health said Sunday.

The health department said it was announcing the two new cases in coordination with two metro health departments in Nashville and Shelby County.

The Tennessean newspaper reported that the Nashville patient is an adult woman who is cooperating with a voluntary self-isolation at home in Davidson County, and state health officials are trying to determine how she was infected. The Shelby County patient is a non-elderly adult who recently traveled to another state and is now hospitalized.

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With key isotopes depleted, DOE plans production center at ORNL

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The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed an isotope production and research center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that could be important for medical, national security, and research projects.

In a budget request released in February, DOE said its supply of certain key enriched stable isotopes has been depleted, making the United States more dependent upon foreign imports for enriched stable isotopes. Isotopes are forms of an element that have the same number of protons but different number of neutrons in their nuclei.

DOE said the demand for enriched stable isotopes continues to grow substantially, including for the medical, national security, and fundamental research projects.

The new center at ORNL, the U.S. Stable Isotope Production and Research Center, would reduce the nation’s dependence upon foreign countries for those isotopes, DOE said.

DOE approved the mission need for the facility in January 2019. Although the cost range could change, the current project estimate is between $175 million and $298 million.

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NYT: Judge orders deportation of Oak Ridge man who served as Nazi camp guard

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The New York Times reported Thursday that a federal immigration judge in Memphis has ordered the deportation of an Oak Ridge man who served at a Nazi concentration camp in Germany during World War II.

Friedrich Karl Berger, 94, was an armed guard in a sub camp of the Neuengamme concentration camp, where prisoners were held during the winter of 1945 and forced to work outdoors “to the point of exhaustion and death,” the newspaper said.

The Times said Berger is a citizen of Germany, where he will be deported, and has continued to receive a pension based on his employment, “including his wartime service.”

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Friends of Oak Ridge Library has book sale this weekend

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library has a book sale this weekend.

The Winter 2020 Book Sale is from Thursday evening, March 5, to Sunday, March 8. It is in the Library Auditorium.

Besides books, jigsaw puzzles, music compact discs, and other items will also be available, a press release said. Most titles will still be 50 cents or $1 each, the press release said. Withdrawn library titles will be half price Thursday through Saturday.
 
There was a members-only sale Thursday evening.

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Updated: City prepares for coronavirus as first case reported in Tennessee

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Note: This story was last updated at 5:45 p.m.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson on Tuesday outlined preparations in the city for a potential coronavirus outbreak. Two days later, on Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee reported that the first case of coronavirus, which has spread across the globe, has been confirmed in the state.

In Oak Ridge, Watson said, there is initial public safety planning to identify local efforts to protect residents, and local officials are communicating with schools and hospitals. The Anderson County Department of Health and Tennessee Department of Health are in frequent contact with the city, Watson said.

Procedures that are in place under the city’s emergency operations manuals are being adapted to account for the effects of viruses such as the coronavirus, and protocols and procedures are being established for city employees who will be in contact with potential infections, Watson said.

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Presidential primary is today in Tennessee

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The presidential and county primary elections are today in Tennessee.

It’s Super Tuesday, and voters in 14 states, including Tennessee, will help select the Democratic Party nominee for president. More than 1,300 delegates are at stake.

Candidates still running for president in the Democratic primary are former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.

Other candidates appear on the ballot, but they have ended or suspended their campaigns. That includes candidates who have dropped out in the past few days: Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer.

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