Health and Medicine
Virginia Republican leaders are calling upon lawmakers of both parties to change the state’s emergency powers statute. They say the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light that the governor’s emergency powers are too broad and can last too long. – and there should instead be a shorter limit on such orders, perhaps 30 days, until legislators can reconvene in special session. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
At last week’s virtual Roanoke City press conference Mayor Sherman Lea expressed concern over the low numbers of COVID-19 testing results – as the city prepared for a partial reopening. City Manager Bob Cowell addressed that issue at yesterday’s virtual session – taking his cue from what Dr. Molly O’Dell with the Roanoke and Alleghany Health Districts said the day before:
Today marks the end of four full weeks since Virginia dentists were permitted to once again perform non-emergency procedures. It has involved a learning curve for both dentists and patients, and as everyone involved becomes familiar with changes, the longer-term question becomes now long might they remain in place. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
(Kaitlin McKeown/The Daily Press via AP)
More of the commonwealth’s oceanside beaches are likely to re-open soon, based in large part on what happened over the holiday weekend in Virginia Beach. Governor Northam says while Virginia Beach was busy, most people were adhering to his social distancing directive,and he he didn’t see anything that would lead him to consider reclosing the beach. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam is ordering that Virginians wear masks while in public indoor spaces, saying the measure is needed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Northam said at a news conference Tuesday that he’s ordering masks be worn starting Friday inside all retail stores, while using public transportation, and in any other indoor places where people congregate.
“This is about protecting those around us, especially our workers,” Northam said. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Northam joins governors in several other states, including neighboring Maryland, who have issued similar requirements.
“This is not about punishing people,” Northam said. “That’s not what we’re going to do here. We’re trying to promote safety.”
But Republican lawmakers decried the order, saying it places unfair mandates on business owners. Senate Republicans issued a statement saying Northam’s mask order should instead be a voluntary recommendation.
“Virginians are responsible and sufficiently informed to make these determinations for themselves without coercive threats from their leaders,” the statement said.
Prior to the governor’s announcement, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police said law enforcement agencies do not have the resources to place officers at the entrance to every business to enforce the mandatory mask order.
Executive Director Dana Schrad said in a letter to the governor it will be largely up to the business and its untrained employees to confront someone who isn’t wearing a mask, potentially leading to violence. She cited a case in Michigan, where three people were charged earlier this month in the fatal shooting of a security guard after a confrontation over a woman who was not wearing a face mask in a Family Dollar store.
The governor’s mask-wearing order exempts people who are eating and drinking, children under the age of 10, and people with health conditions that make wearing a mask dangerous.
Northam also addressed criticism he’s taken for not wearing a mask while posing for photographs alongside residents during a weekend beach visit. The governor said he was visiting Virginia Beach to see how its reopening was going and left his mask in his vehicle because he wasn’t planning on posing for pictures. He pledged to be better prepared in the future and said he appreciated being held accountable.
Governor Northam says he takes full responsibility for not wearing a face mask over the weekend while visiting Virginia Beach. Northam said at today’s briefing he was not planning to meet with well-wishers as he arrived to monitor social distancing and meeting reporters, and he left his mask in the car – something he promises not to do again.
Northam’s comments came shortly before directing all Virginians to wear face masks anywhere where people congregate indoors as of this Friday. There are some limited exceptions: eating, exercising, any overriding health condition and children under the age of 10. Northam says the masks are proving to be one of the most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 from person to person.
Jamie Smyth, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, VTCRI, Smyth Lab, science, research, lab
COVID-19 is not the only virus being studied at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke – another that attacks the heart under the microscope as well. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
According to the latest update by the Virginia Department of Health, there are 4 new COVID 19 cases and 2 new coroanvirus related deaths being attributed to Roanoke County bringing the overall death toll there to 7. The data shows one new case being attributed to Botetourt County.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam has repeatedly urged Virginia residents to cover their faces in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Democrat didn’t heed his own plea when he posed mask-less for photographs alongside residents during a weekend beach visit.
A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said Sunday that Northam should have brought a face mask with him during his visit on Saturday to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, news outlets reported.
“He was outside yesterday and not expecting to be within six feet of anyone,” Northam spokesman Alena Yarmosky said in a statement. “This is an important reminder to always have face coverings in case situations change — we are all learning how to operate in this new normal, and it’s important to be prepared.”
“Wearing a mask could literally save someone else’s life,” he said last week, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Critics on social media chided Northam, a physician, for not practicing what he has preached.
“Physician, heal thyself,” tweeted Todd Gilbert, a Republican who is Virginia’s House Minority Leader.
The Virginian-Pilot reported that Northam posed for a selfie with a woman who said she knows the governor. She gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“We just have to continue to remind people that we want to keep the social distance of 6 feet apart,” he said, when asked about the touch later. “That’s a challenge for a lot of folks because they’re just not used to doing that.”
Virginia has more than 34,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,135 confirmed deaths as of Sunday, according to the state health department.