Evan Jones
Governor Northam today called on the Trump administration to nationalize purchasing of hospital personal protective equipment like hospital masks, gloves and gowns. Northam says Virginia does not have enough to meet the need and must compete with many others in efforts to obtain the critically-needed gear:
Northam says the state is also short on coronavirus test kits.
This comes as COVID-19 cases in the state jumped more than 100 from yesterday to 604 in all. The Virginia Department of Health also says 83 people have required hospitalization to date; there have been 14 deaths attributed to the coronavirus so far.
The two-year state budget that was passed just a few weeks ago is already billions of dollars out of balance, the result of the coronavirus-related economic slowdown. Virginia’s constitution requires the state budget to be balanced, and former Delegate Greg Habeeb, a Richmond-based Partner with Gentry Locke attorneys, says it’s back to the drawing board in the General Assembly. He spoke with WFIR’s Evan Jones:
As of 10:00 am, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state jumped more than 100 from yesterday to 604 in all. The Virginia Department of Health also says 83 people have required hospitalization to date; there have been 14 deaths attributed to the coronavirus so far. Virginia’s population centers remain the state’s hotspots: Fairfax County alone reports 124 confirmed cases, and there are more than 100 in Hampton Roads.
In the Roanoke area, there are one each in Roanoke City and County, Botetourt County and Franklin County. There are two reported cases in Bedford County.
The Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center said in a news release issued late Friday afternoon that two residents who were presumed positive for COVID-19 have died within the last 24 hours. Canterbury said those residents’ test results have not yet been confirmed. Four deaths were reported earlier in the week.
The facility, which serves mainly elderly patients with underlying health conditions, also reported two additional residents had tested positive, bringing that total to 19. Six health care workers have previously tested positive.
A top local health official told The Associated Press this week that the facility is facing a shortage of both personal protective equipment for its workers as well as a staffing shortage as it deals with the outbreak. Relatives of patients at the facility where visitors are not permitted have expressed grave concerns about their loved ones.
Canterbury also has tests that are outstanding. A spokeswoman said the facility currently has about 150 patients. About 50 were symptomatic, Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico health districts, said Friday.
The total number of cases of COVID-19 cases in Virginia surpassed 600, according to numbers reported Friday by the state health department, with more than a dozen deaths.
Gov. Ralph Northam said at a press conference that he expected cases to increase for “some weeks ahead,” and he emphasized that practicing social distancing is the best way to help slow the spread of the virus and prevent the health care system from becoming overwhelmed.
“I can’t repeat myself enough: Virginians, you need to stay at home,” he said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
The virus has caused a global pandemic that has crippled economies, forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people, and sickened more than 585,000 and killed more than 26,000 worldwide, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Cases of COVID-19 have been disclosed in at least three other long-term care or assisted living facilities in Virginia. The health department did not respond to questions from the AP this week about exactly how many such facilities had cases.
Joani Latimer, the state’s long-term care ombudsman, said the coronavirus outbreak is the “perfect storm” for facilities like Canterbury that have lots of vulnerable residents living in close quarters and struggled with a workforce shortage even before the pandemic.
“It’s very, very frightening,” she said.
The House of Representatives is expected to quickly pass the $2.2 trillion dollar stimulus package that won unanimous Senate approval two nights ago. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, a Virginia Tech Business professor says much of that money is critically needed:
Salem’s Parks and Recreation Department announced a pile of event cancellations today, and they demonstrate how deeply the coronavirus pandemic is impacting the region’s tourism economy. Among the many cancellations: four softball tournamens and one baseball tournament that were set for the Moyer Sports Complex through mid-May. All Salem city events and activities are cancelled through May 17th.
MGN
A Virginia Tech Internet expert says the web should be able to keep handling the increased home use for work and study – and most problems you may encounter are more likely to come closer to where you live. Tech’s IT Safety Officer Randy Marchany likens your own– or your neighborhood’s — Internet capability to the size of a roadway. If it is the equivalent of a four-lane highway, you are good to go, but it is more similar to a gravel road, you might encounter some digital traffic jams. He spoke with WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Governor Northam is calling on Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. to close the college down until the coronavirus pandemic subsides. But Falwell defends his decision as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Virginia’s governor asked Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. on Wednesday to reconsider his decision to welcome students back to the Lynchburg campus this week after their spring break.
Speaking at a news conference in Richmond, Gov. Ralph Northam criticized Liberty, which is among the nation’s largest and most prominent evangelical colleges, as sending “mixed messages” about COVID-19. The illness has crippled economies, forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people and swamped health care systems.
However, residential students were told they were “welcome” to return to campus, according to an email sent to students. The move was at odds with many other institutions of higher education, including the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, which has said only students who have “no other options” can remain on campus, and William & Mary, which closed its residence halls.
“I would suggest that President Falwell look to the actions of the leaders of Virginia’s flagship universities for how to set a strong example in this health crisis and to please reconsider his message that invites and encourages students to return to campus,” said Northam, who is a doctor.
In a statement that accused Northam of making “false accusations,” the university said it was in compliance with all of the governor’s directives and applicable federal guidance. It noted that health inspectors performing an unannounced inspection earlier in the week found no violations.
“Our students are part of the Lynchburg community!” Liberty said in a statement. “They work jobs, have apartments, make economic contributions and pay taxes. That they should be banned or discouraged from choosing to utilize the shelter and food sources that they paid for in a time of crisis is unthinkable.”
Liberty officials have said about 1,500 of the approximately 15,000 residential students are back on campus.
Falwell, one of President Donald Trump’s earliest and most ardent high-profile supporters, has generally characterized concerns about the virus as overblown. He has offered unsubstantiated speculation that the coronavirus may have been the work of North Korea and accused the news media of stoking fear.
An email sent to students last week and obtained by AP said that “all residential students are welcome to either stay in place or return to campus with various safety measures in place.”
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Local officials told AP they were fielding complaints from residents and Liberty parents about the school’s policy. Lynchburg Mayor Treney Tweedy said in a statement Tuesday that she thought the decision letting students return was “reckless.”
“That anyone in the City of Lynchburg would welcome other college students from across the state — and indeed the world — to return “home” to Lynchburg but expect the drawbridge should be pulled up to deny entry to Liberty students illustrates the height of hypocrisy and scapegoating that is going on today,” Liberty’s statement said.
On Wednesday, Northam quoted from 1 Corinthians, saying: “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
“Proving faithful means providing clear and consistent guidance,” he went on to say. “And it means respecting the duty that Liberty University has to its students, its staff, the Lynchburg community in which it is located, and our Commonwealth.”
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY STATEMENT:
Liberty University has been, and will continue to be, in compliance with all of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s directives, as well as all applicable federal guidance.
The Governor was quoting scripture today about Christian duty to protect our students. That’s exactly what Liberty has been laboring tirelessly to do over the last couple of weeks. We really think it’s un-Christian to turn students away and push any problems off on someone else. Most of our residential campus students are not in the Lynchburg area. Only about 10 percent of our residential students are currently here on campus. Many of those are international students who did not leave the country on Spring Break and have nowhere else to go. The Governor should understand that.
These students are in their living spaces attending classes and convocations online, not in classrooms or the Vines Center. They are getting their dining plan food by takeout instead of eating in the dining halls. The campus is fairly spacious and uncrowded, so they are spread out and observing social distancing. They are not working out in our fitness centers, not bowling in our bowling alley, not skating in the ice rink, and not engaging in our sports, intramurals, or student organization activities. Touchpoints across campus are being sanitized several times a day.
The Central Virginia Health District came to Liberty yesterday, Tuesday, March 24, for an unannounced inspection, and they did not find Liberty in violation of any of the State of Virginia’s Executive Order 53 – the Governor’s order that placed temporary restrictions on restaurants, businesses and gatherings. As Jim Bowles, the Environmental Health Manager for the CVHD stated:
“All operations appeared to be in compliance with the Governor’s emergency order, which becomes effective at midnight. We observed that all operations were carry-out only, no seating was provided, and onsite security guards — present at each location — were limiting the number of customers in line to 10.”
Our students are part of the Lynchburg community! They work jobs, have apartments, make economic contributions and pay taxes. That they should be banned or discouraged from choosing to utilize the shelter and food sources that they paid for in a time of crisis is unthinkable. The only Liberty students who are here are adult students who have concluded that this is the only place they have or it is the safest and best place to be, among what may be limited options for them. So yes, we welcomed them to stay and did not ban or discourage anyone from accessing their local food and shelter.
That anyone in the City of Lynchburg would welcome other college students from across the state — and indeed the world — to return “home” to Lynchburg but expect the drawbridge should be pulled up to deny entry to Liberty students illustrates the height of hypocrisy and scapegoating that is going on today.
We invite Governor Northam to come and see our compliance for himself, rather than making false accusations in press conferences from Richmond. As the Ninth Commandment says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
Carilion Clinic reports that as of Wednesday morning, it has now treated six patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The health system says five of the six are self-isolated at home and not in need of hospital care. Carilion officials say it is up to the Virginia Department of Health to detail the cities or counties where the patients reside.
Governor Northam says Virginia is working to obtain more ventilators to handle the expected surge in demand and need as the number of coronavirus cases keeps growing. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam doubled down Tuesday on his warning that people will have to stay at home and many businesses will remain shuttered for “months, not weeks” as the nation battles the coronavirus pandemic.
Northam, who is a doctor, warned against “mixed messages” when asked about President Donald Trump’s outlook on the coronavirus. The Democrat did not share Trump’s hopes that the country would reopen by Easter, which is 19 days away.
“It would be nice to say that this will be behind us in two weeks,” Northam said at a news conference about Trump’s statements earlier in the day. “That’s really not what the data tells us. What the data tells us is this will be with us for at least two to three months and perhaps even longer.”
He argued that tens of thousands of Americans die from the seasonal flu or in automobile accidents and “we don’t turn the country off.”
“We’ll assess at that time and we’ll give it some more time if we need a little more time, but we need to open this country up,” Trump added. “We have to go back to work, much sooner than people thought.”
Northam warned that the number of virus-related deaths in Virginia would keep going up.
“We have nowhere come close to hitting that peak of the curve,” the governor said. “But if we continue to do what we’re recommending, we will hopefully flatten that curve as much as we can.”
Later Tuesday afternoon, health officials announced the death of two additional patients from COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to at least nine.
The latest victims were “elderly” residents of Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Henrico County, according to a statement from the local health district.
Virus cases in the state reached 290, with 45 hospitalizations, according to the latest information from the state health department.
Many of the cases are concentrated in northern Virginia and in an area near Williamsburg that’s known as the Peninsula. Nearly 4,500 people have been tested in the state.
The virus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in some, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health problems. Severe cases are often only able to breathe with respirators.
Northam said the state is working to get more respirators. He also said Virginia has received its first shipment of protective equipment such as masks, gowns and gloves from the national stockpile. He expects another shipment next week.
“Please stay home unless necessary, and continue to practice social distancing if you must go out,” he said.
Virginia public schools will remain closed for the rest of the current school year.
Starting at midnight, certain types of businesses, like bowling alleys, salons, gyms and theaters, must close in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Northam said restaurants can continue to serve and deliver takeout food. He said that “non-essential retail establishments can only remain open if they allow 10 or fewer patrons and adhere to social distancing and increased sanitizing procedures.”
Northam said businesses deemed essential, including grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and gas stations will also remain open but must adhere to the social-distancing and sanitizing rules.
He said the measures will remain in effect statewide for at least 30 days.
The Virginia Department of Health reports two more confirmed coronavirus cases in Bedford County, bringing the county’s total to three. Officials say one of the new cases was acquired through travel within the U.S. and the other through community transmission. None of the Bedford County cases has required hospitalization.
NEWS RELEASE: In response to questions about new cases of COVID-19, we have received notification of two additional cases in Bedford County, bringing the district total to four (three in Bedford and one in Amherst). Of the new cases, one was acquired through travel within the U.S., while the other was acquired through community transmission. As usual, CVHD staff are performing contact investigation and will be notifying those who may have been exposed. While none of CVHD’s cases have required hospitalization, district staff continue to remain in contact and monitor their situation.
CVHD continues to advise residents to take preventive measures to reduce their risk of COVID-19 transmission, including:
- Practicing social distancing
- Washing hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds
- Covering your mouth with your elbow or a tissue when sneezing/coughing
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Disinfecting all frequently touched surfaces
By following these protective guidelines, CVHD residents can help ensure they–and those around them–stay healthy. If you have any questions, please contact Lindsey Cawood at this email address or (434) 477-5908.