Richmond Free Press
VOL. 29 NO. 13
© 2020 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
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Metro Richmond responds to, prepares for pandemic/Photos B2
MARCH 19-21, 2020
Life interrupted Coronavirus pandemic disrupts work, study and play as the number of cases rises throughout the state By George Copeland Jr.
Coronavirus has been uncovered in Virginia’s capital city, adding to the anxiety and concern about the illness. Four people in Richmond have tested positive for COVID19, the latest development for a pandemic that has resulted in 77 infections and two deaths in the state and has seen local and state officials take increasingly measured steps to combat and prevent the virus’ spread. Mayor Levar M. Stoney confirmed the virus’ arrival in Richmond during a news conference Wednesday at City Hall. He said the people infected, two in their 20s and two in their 30s, recently had traveled outside the state. Three of the infected had traveled as part of a group trip to North Carolina with another person from Henrico County, who also has been confirmed as infected. The three cases were discovered during the investigation into the Henrico case, according to Dr. Danny T.K. Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico health districts. The fourth person in Richmond testing positive for the virus traveled to New York, where he came in contact
Coronavirus tips
To protect yourself and others from coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following:
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
A man rides his bicycle through Jackson Ward on Tuesday wearing a medical mask as an extra precaution during the continuing spread of COVID-19 in Virginia.
with a person who has tested positive. All four people have selfquarantined at home, as the Virginia Health Department works to trace their travels and
previous contacts. Officials announced Tuesday that a resident of Westminster Canterbury in Henrico County, a man in his 80s who had returned from a trip Florida,
also has been hospitalized at VCU Medical Center. Officials said he is one of two people being treated at VCU for the virus. “We are in uncharted ter-
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. • Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people at higher risk of getting sick, including older people and those with underlying medical conditions. • Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care. • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow. • Throw used tissues in the trash, then immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with a hand sanitizer. • If you are sick, wear a face mask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) and before you enter a health care provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a face mask, then do your best to cover your coughs and sneezes. People who are caring for you should wear a face mask if they enter your room.
ritory,” Mayor Stoney said. “Now is the time to increase our diligence and keep each other accountable.” Schools and libraries have been shut down, with a mass
shift to continue service through online resources in a bid to reduce the virus’ spread. Concerts, festivals and most Please turn to A4
RPS centers Richmond schools closed until April 13 open to families By Ronald E. Carrington
By Ronald E. Carrington
Kate Johnson had a difficult time finding where to pick up food at Chimborazo Elementary School on Monday. There was no sign posted on the front door of the school on East Marshall Street in the East End. Looking to pick up food and lesson plans for her three boys, Parker, a third-grader, Jonah, who’s in first grade, and her preschooler, in this new age of coronavirus, Ms. Johnson persisted until she found the right entry in the rear of the building. She picked up schoolwork and pre-packaged bags of breakfast and lunch for the boys before heading out. “I am going to be home and I want (the boys) to continue to read and work on their academics,” said Ms. Johnson, a part-time worker who said her employer will continue paying her for the next two weeks. Her husband, an employee at Virginia Commonwealth University, was still waiting to hear whether his department would be closed down because of the pandemic. She said she and her husband are telling their children to wash their hands more. “What really concerns me is our neighbors,” Ms. Johnson said. “A lot of them are over 60 years old.” The week started a stressful and chaotic time for many families as area schools and some before- and after-school programs shut down to help prevent the spread of COVID19. Parents across the city are scrambling to get child care as they adjust their work and family schedules, making sure their children are fed and keeping up with schoolwork. What started out as a twoweek closure for Richmond Public Schools suddenly expanded to become a four-week break, with more than 24,000 students out of classes until
April 13, or longer. Chimborazo Elementary was one of 20 school-based food distribution centers opened Monday by RPS to make sure families have what they need during this time of unsteadiness. On Tuesday, RPS officials announced that an additional 15 food distribution points would be opened in various community centers. On Monday and Tuesday, turnout for food was light. On those days, the breakfast packages included cereal, milk, juice, a pastry and a piece of fruit, while lunch included a ham and cheese croissant, fruit and vegetable and hamburger or cheeseburger sliders. “I think people are using what they have at home,” said Mark Cattie, coordinator at Blackwell Elementary School in South Side. “Toward the weekend, we may see a peak of people coming in because our children really need these meals.” Please turn to A4
Richmond Public Schools will be closed for an additional two weeks through spring break, reopening Monday, April 13, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Superintendent Jason Kamras made the announcement at the Richmond School Board meeting Monday night, noting, “This is an unprecedented time as we navigate the current situation.” The schools will be closed for students and staff. The superintendent, his senior staff, school principals, principal directors and custodians will remain on the job, however. Students were given learning activities packets when schools closed on Friday, March 13. If they did not get the packets, officials said families can pick them up at the food distribution centers. Additional learning activities for students at all levels also are available on the RPS website under Learning at Home Resources, www.rpstech.org/parents.html. Students will not be graded during the closure, officials
said. Last week, Gov. Ralph S. Northam ordered all Virginia public schools closed for two weeks beginning Monday, March 16, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. That would have reopened schools for one week before spring break was to start on April 6. Under Mr. Kamras’ directive, schools will be closed for the next four weeks through the spring holiday. All RPS employees – full time and part time – will continue to be paid during this time, officials said Monday night. That includes hourly workers as the School Board approved allocating funding for the maximum possible hours for such workers during the school closing. “The closing could be longer than after spring break,” Mr. Kamras said, acknowledging that “the extension will put additional stress on families … in terms of child care, having food, as well as other day to day realities. However, it is important Please turn to A4
Closing Cathy’s Camp in midst of emergency By Jeremy M. Lazarus
The tents started to come down Wednesday. At this point, only a small group of people remain in the homeless community known as Cathy’s Camp beside the city’s cold weather shelter on Oliver Hill Way across from the Richmond Justice Center. “Maybe 20 to 25 people are left, and they should be moved” in the next day or two, Rhonda Sneed said Wednesday. She returned to the camp and used her phone to broadcast the tent
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Improving on history Tessneem Khalil, 7, right, helps uncover gravestones in the 104-year-old Woodland Cemetery in Henrico County. She is working with her mother, left, Rania Fetouh, and Kathleen Harrell, her teacher at Shady Grove Elementary School in Henrico County. Ms. Harrell has volunteered consistently on Sunday afternoons with Dr. John W.J. “Bill” Slavin to improve the neglected burial ground best known as the last resting place of Arthur Ashe Jr., the Richmond native who earned international renown in tennis and as a humanitarian. Please see story on B3.
removal around 7 p.m. That’s far sooner than the March 31 deadline the city imposed for everyone to be out and the tents taken away. Ms. Sneed is a co-founder of Blessing Warriors RVA, the all-volunteer group providing services to the homeless, and helped launch the tent city — named for the late Cathy Davis, the other co-founder — as a shelter for people who needed a place to sleep. The urgency to shut down the camp has been fueled by the coronavirus emergency. Without waiting for formal approval from City Council, Mayor Levar M. Stoney used his emergency authority to shift $2.1 million in city funds to spur the move of the camp residents to area hotels and motels. The measure was introduced Monday and is expected to win approval Monday, March 23, when City Council is scheduled to hold its regular meeting. The spending is part of a series of steps that Mayor Stoney announced to help stem the pandemic and help residents during the crisis, including dropping interest and penalties on late filing of all city taxes; halting all disconnections of utility services; closing libraries and recreation centers; and eliminating any city-sponsored public meetings, except for City Council. The funding has enabled Homeward, the regional homeless coordinating group, and its partners to relocate about 17 people from Cathy’s Camp to the Massad House Hotel in Downtown, and with help from Blessing Warriors RVA, to place the majority at the Rodeway Inn in Henrico County near the airport. The relocations began Monday, although the process was clearly uneven. Delivery of meals to those who were transferred to hotels did not begin until Tuesday. A few people walked back to the camp to get something to eat, including one man who walked at least 5 miles from the motel on Williamsburg Road near the airport. Complaints about bedbugs at the Downtown hotel led some to return as well. As of Tuesday, 50 people had been relocated, with another 12 relocated Wednesday, with meal service up and running, according to Kelly King Horne, Homeward’s executive director. “We plan to provide two weeks (stay in the hotels) and go from Please turn to A4