The latest
- The District said it recorded 59 new positive cases Sunday, bringing the city’s new total to 401.
- A Charles County, Maryland, man was arrested for hosting a large gathering with about 60 people, despite Gov. Larry Hogan’s emergency order that prohibits gatherings of 10 or more people, officials said.
- Howard County reported its first two deaths related to the coronavirus Sunday. Both victims had underlying health conditions.
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a national TV interview that Maryland would look “a lot more like New York” by Easter.
- Metro has announced further cuts to bus and rail service for the coming workweek.
- A nursing home in Mt. Airy, Maryland, has been hit with an outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, with 66 residents testing positive. The county health officer announced Sunday that one resident, a man in his 90s, has died.
- The Arlington, Virginia, Health District has reported its first COVID-19 death.
- Maryland passed the 1,000-case mark on Sunday morning, adding more than 200 cases to reach 1,239.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top doctor on infectious diseases, said it’s possible that millions of Americans could become infected with the virus, and 100,000 to 200,000 could die.
- Days after the Kennedy Center received $25 million from the coronavirus relief bill, the musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra have received word they’re not going to be paid after April 3.
- People still need blood donations, and starting Saturday the Washington Capitals are on the case in Virginia.
- The death toll in Maryland reached 15 Saturday, and the overall case load in D.C., Maryland and Virginia has passed 2,000 — only three days after it passed 1,000.
- D.C.’s first confirmed COVID-19 patient, Father Tim Cole with Christ Church Georgetown, is now recovering at home.
- Alleghany County, Virginia, has also reported its first COVID-19 death — a woman in her 80s.
- More changes are coming to service on Alexandria’s DASH bus.
- A man in Charles County, Maryland, has been charged with violating Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order banning gatherings of more than 10 people.
- Segments of Sligo Creek Parkway in Montgomery County, Maryland, will be closed to traffic to establish additional recreational space for residents.
- Catch up on all of Saturday’s coronavirus updates.
Howard County announces 1st COVID-19-related deaths
Two Howard County, Maryland, men died from the coronavirus, the county’s first deaths related to the outbreak, health officials said.
The men, 75 and 90, both had underlying health conditions, according to a news release.
“With the passing of these residents, the impact of coronavirus on our community has become deadly and we must refocus and reinforce our efforts to stop the spread by staying at home, social distancing, and limiting interactions with others,” said Calvin Ball, Howard County’s executive.
County officials urge the public to visit its online coronavirus resources page for additional information on how to remain safe.
Hogan: Md. will look ‘a lot more like New York’ by Easter
On a national talk show Sunday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan predicted that in a couple of weeks, the situation in the state would be “looking a lot more like New York” than edging toward normal as the coronavirus continues to spread across the region.
Contradicting President Trump’s desire to see the country’s economy “reopened” by Easter, Hogan told Fox News Sunday that “I think the virus is gonna dictate the time frame, and we’re going to follow the advice of the scientists and doctors.”
Noting that the case count in D.C., Maryland and Virginia has quadrupled over the past week, Hogan said, “I don’t see any way that we’re going to be opening back up in a couple of weeks.” Asked whether the situation was getting worse rather than better, Hogan said, “There’s no question about that.”
Of Trump’s optimistic comments, Hogan said, “I think the president’s just trying to be hopeful, which is good. We don’t want people to be scared, but we want them to take it seriously.”
Hogan, the head of the National Governors Association, has been acting as an intermediary between the nation’s governors and the White House, and he said that the federal government has made good progress on many of the governors’ priorities.
Still, he said, “the big pinch point” is the lack of tests, ventilators and protective equipment. “This is a serious issue across the country that we’re all grappling with,” Hogan said. Despite the federal government’s efforts and the involvement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said, “It’s not enough.”
Asked about Trump’s comments that he wants governors “to be appreciative” of what they get from the federal government, Hogan said, “I hate to just point fingers and talk about what has and hasn’t been done. … But there’s frustration out there. But I think we should do less arguing and more working together.”
He reiterated that people should take the warnings about social distancing seriously citing his state’s statistics to show that no one is immune — as many of Maryland’s COVID-19 patients are in their 20s as in their 60s.
More Metro service cuts
Metro is running fewer trains and buses in the coming workweek, as ridership continues to plummet. From Monday through Friday, trains will run 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. every 15 minutes on the Red Line and every 20 minutes on the others.
Buses will run on a modified Sunday schedule all week. Find out what’s running and what isn’t.
Metro said in a statement that rail ridership last week was down 90% over a typical workweek, while bus ridership was down 75%.
Reminder: Buses are running free of charge, and riders can only get on and off through the back door.
Find out more about changes to transit services across the area.
Outbreak at Mt. Airy nursing home
The Pleasant View Nursing Home, in Mt. Airy, Maryland, has been hit with an outbreak of COVID-19. Sixty-six residents of the 104-bed nursing home have tested positive for the disease, and 11 are in hospitals.
Carroll County Health Officer Ed Singer said Sunday afternoon that one of the residents, a man in his 90s, has died. He added that more residents, and staff members with symptoms, are awaiting results, and that patients are not being moved in or out unless there’s a medical emergency.
Singer described the outbreak as “relatively contained in the facility,” adding, “We’re doing what we can to contain the outbreak … but there’s really not much more than what the governor has been talking about” relating to social distancing and hand-washing.
Some of the residents who were positive are asymptomatic, so staff is wearing personal protective equipment — gowns, masks and gloves — in dealing with residents.
He added that some of the staff “haven’t been able to report” to work. “We’ve reached out to temp agencies and things of that nature” such as Maryland Responds to provide enough staff to ensure patient care.
Leslie Simmons, president of the Carroll Hospital Center, said the hospital was “working desperately to try to provide [Pleasant View] all they need for their residents.”
She added that residents of the county should “make sure you get your information from reliable sources,” and directed people to the county’s COVID-19 Call Center, at 410-876-4848.
Steve Wantz, the president of the county board of commissioners, said he’d gotten reports of crowded aisles in large stores, and said, “I’m just not sure what folks are not understanding about this deadly pandemic. … This is not like anything we’ve ever seen before.”
The news came the same day that the state’s death toll from COVID-19 doubled, to 10.
“We have lost 10 of our fellow Marylanders, and we mourn each and every one of them,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement.
Of the nursing home, he said, “Multiple state agencies are on the scene and working closely with the local health department and the facility as they take urgent steps to protect additional residents and staff who may have been exposed.”
He added, “As we have been warning for weeks, older Marylanders and those with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable and at a significantly higher risk of contracting this disease. We continue to call for Marylanders to stay at home, except for essential reasons, in order to help stop the spread of this virus.”
Region’s cases pass 2,500, with Md. passing 1,000
On Sunday, Maryland added more than 200 COVID-19 cases to the state’s total, reaching 1,239, with the death toll reaching 15. Virginia reported 151 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state’s total to 890, with five more deaths for a total of 22.
D.C. has had 401 cases with nine deaths.
That brings the number of confirmed cases in the District, Maryland and Virginia to 2,530.
See WTOP’s tracker of the number of cases, updated as information is released.
Arlington Health District reports 1st COVID-19 death
The Arlington, Virginia, Health District has reported its first two deaths related to COVID-19.
The health district said in a statement Sunday afternoon that the first patient was 72 years old and had been ill with the coronavirus for a few weeks; the second was 60 and was diagnosed last week.
The health district didn’t say exactly when either of them had died. The close contacts of both of them have been identified, they said.
“We are saddened by the deaths of two Arlington County residents related to COVID-19. Our hearts go out to their loved ones,” said Arlington Health District Director Dr. Reuben Varghese. “These deaths, along with the increasing numbers of coronavirus cases we are seeing in the region, are a reminder that we all must be vigilant to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
Five more deaths in Md.
The Maryland Department of Health said in a statement Saturday evening that five more people have died of COVID-19: a Prince George’s County resident in his 50s; a Charles County resident in his 50s; a Wicomico County resident in her 60s with underlying medical conditions; a Baltimore City resident in her 60s with underlying medical conditions; and a Baltimore City resident in her 80s, also with underlying medical conditions.
NSO musicians will lose pay in a week
The day after the coronavirus relief bill was signed into law, granting the Kennedy Center $25 million, the musicians of the resident National Symphony Orchestra were informed they’d stop getting paid April 3.
In a letter to NSO executive director Gary Ginstling posted on Facebook, Ed Malaga, president of the D.C. chapter of the American Federation of Musicians, said the move was “a plain violation” of the contract with the orchestra’s musicians and librarians. He claimed that the only way the orchestra can stop paying the musicians requires six weeks’ notice.
“This decision, from an organization with an endowment of nearly $100 million, is not only outrageous — coming after the musicians had expressed their willingness to discuss ways to accommodate the Kennedy Center during this challenging time — it is also blatantly illegal under the parties’ collective bargaining agreement,” Malaga said in a statement.
The Kennedy Center has canceled all performances through May 10. Deborah Rutter, the president of the Kennedy Center, has waived her salary until the pandemic recedes, The Washington Post reported.
Capitals hold blood drive in Va.
Even in a time of social distancing, people need blood donations, and the Washington Capitals have adjusted their blood drive to cope with the new realities at locations in Northern Virginia.
Charles Co. man charged with defying state ban on gatherings
A Charles County, Maryland, man has been charged with violating Gov. Hogan’s order banning gatherings of more than 10 people.
Shawn Myers, 41, of Hughesville, was arrested Friday night after officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Department went to his house and found 60 people gathered at a bonfire.
It was the second time they’d been called to the house for that reason, the sheriff’s office said in a statement: On March 22, they said, Myers agreed to disperse the crowd that had gathered.
On Friday night, they said, he refused.
He is charged with violating the governor’s executive order of March 23, a misdemeanor. If he is convicted, he faces up to a year in prison, a $5,000 fine or both.
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Prince George’s County reports death of coach/counselor
Terrance Burke, the basketball coach and a counselor at Northwestern High School, died due to the coronavirus, the county reported on Saturday.
“I know this news is devastating and shocking to many in the Northwestern High School community and all who knew and loved him,” the county schools’ CEO Monica Goldson said in a news release.
“Please join me in extending our deepest sympathies to Mr. Burke’s family, friends, colleagues and the countless young lives that he impacted during his many years at Northwestern High School and throughout the PGCPS community.”
Goldson’s message said psychologists and counselors will be available for students and staff members who need consoling due to the news.
WTOP’s Dan Friedell contributed to this report.
