Virginia recorded its second coronavirus-related death Monday, as officials across the region took drastic steps to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The Virginia Department of Health confirmed Monday that a York County man in his late 70s died of respiratory failure caused by of the coronavirus. York County is in the southeast area of the state known as the Peninsula region.
“It is a sad day in our community as we learn that a local resident has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus,” Dr. Steve Julian, acting director of the Peninsula Health Department, said in a written statement. “The Hampton/Peninsula Health District is working closely with our community healthcare partners to assure the best care in response to the Pandemic.”
On Saturday, the state recorded its first coronavirus-related death also in the southeast area — a man in his 70s in James City County.
At least 51 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Virginia, and Gov. Ralph Northam has closed all government buildings in James City County, Williamsburg, Newport News, Poquoson, Hampton and York County for two weeks. The Democratic governor also has banned events of 100 people or more.
In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, movie theaters and gyms throughout the state beginning at 5 p.m. Monday. The executive order does not apply to drive-through, carry-out and delivery services.
In addition, the Republican governor announced a ban on all gatherings of 50 or more people, as the state’s tally of confirmed coronavirus cases climbed to at least 37 amid increased testing for the disease. Most of those cases have been reported in Montgomery County.
The governor’s order remains in effect indefinitely, “until after the termination of the state of emergency and the proclamation of the catastrophic health emergency has been rescinded.”
“We have never faced anything like this before, this is going to be much harder, take much longer and be much worse than almost anyone is currently understanding,” Mr. Hogan said during a press conference. “Unfortunately, far too many people have continued to ignore those warnings and are crowding into bars and restaurants, willingly putting the health and safety of others in great danger.”
Over the weekend, the governor had ordered the closure of all casinos, race tracks and betting facilities in Maryland.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined Mr. Hogan in ordering the closure of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, spas, theaters and massage establishments starting at 10 p.m. Monday.
Miss Bowser said that these businesses are still allowed to make deliveries and that emergency legislation being considered by the D.C. Council will make it legal to deliver closed containers of alcohol. The Democratic mayor said she will revoke the licenses of businesses that don’t comply with the order.
She also announced that she was activating the National Guard in the nation’s capital, where 17 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed out of a total of 120 tests administered.
“We can talk about enforcement, I can pull our limited resources to chase people down and give them fines, or people can do the right thing, businesses can do the right thing,” Miss Bowser said at a press conference. “As mayor, I don’t wake up in the morning and try to figure out how I can shut down a business or issue a fine, but I will do it.”
The council will vote Tuesday on emergency legislation that would expand unemployment compensation to residents who lost their jobs because of the pandemic. It also would prohibit evictions, cutting off utilities and price gauging. The bill would allow businesses to defer remittance on March sales taxes until September, which Council Chairman Phil Mendelson called an interest-free loan.
The emergency legislation also would extend to the deadline for the mayor to deliver the budget to the council to May 6, instead of Thursday, to allow Miss Bowser to focus on the pandemic and evaluate the city’s finances.
City lawmakers have canceled all budget hearings until further notice and all council meetings for the next two weeks, after Tuesday’s meeting.
Meanwhile, members of the Maryland General Assembly voted Monday for an emergency measure to help residents during the coronavirus as lawmakers moved to an early adjournment on Wednesday.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously, and it now goes to the House, where similar legislation is advancing.
The bill would enable the governor to take additional actions to help state residents affected by the virus. It includes provisions to pay for virus testing and to prevent price-gouging for critical items like food, water, medical supplies and cleaning products.
It also would prohibit employers from firing employees who need to be quarantined or isolated.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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