Newsletter - April 8, 2020

I also wanted to be sure that you saw the new guidance from both Governor Northam's administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Wear a mask when you go outside. It doesn't have to be medical grade.

The facemask should go from below your chin to the bridge of your nose.

The CDC advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost should be used as an additional public health measure to social distancing.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

Surgical and N-95 masks continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Click here for the CDC's guide on the use of cloth face coverings and tutorials on how to make one at home. You'll want to make sure to wash it once per day (or, really, after every time you wear it out).

Again: wearing a face covering does NOT replace practicing proper social distancing or good hand/face hygiene. You should still stay home as much as possible. But facemasks are another tool in our toolbox to fighting the spread of this pandemic. 

Governor Northam Requests that
May and June Elections be Postponed

Wisconsin citizens in Democratic areas were forced to wait in line for hours,
Risking their lives just to vote.
We will fight to make sure this never happens in Virginia.

Yesterday, Wisconsin voters were forced to risk their lives to cast a ballot in yet another shameful attempt by Wisconsin Republicans and the five conservatives on the United States Supreme Court at voter suppression. No one should have to choose between protecting their own health and exercising their right to vote.

Governor Northam understands this concern and has taken steps to rectify it.

He announced at his press conference today that he will request the General Assembly move the May General Election and all special elections scheduled for May 5, 2020 to the November 3, 2020 General Election date to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to extend the terms of local elected officials by six months to accommodate this new election day. I'm unaware of any elections in the 45th district scheduled for May, but I applaud the Governor's request and will support it.

The Governor is also exercising his statutory authority to move the June primary elections from June 9, 2020 to June 23, 2020. I support this action as well, as I hope and expect we will be on the "other side of the curve" by late June.

I strongly support the Governor's plan.

COVID Hitting Close to Home

According to the most recent numbers from the Virginia Department of Health, as of this morning, there are now 3,645 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Virginia.

Considering that our peak is yet to come, the Governor has determined the Dulles Expo Center will be an alternative care facility if and when hospitals in Northern Virginia are overwhelmed. Once it is ready, we will be able to treat 315 patients there if cases are on the more severe end (acute), and up to 510 cases if they are less severe (non-acute).

Virginia Hospital COVID-19 Dashboard

Securing Personal Protective Equipment
for our Healthcare Workers

As you may well know, the federal government has not kept an adequate stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers and hospitals across the USA. This has forced the nation's 50 Governors and the Mayor of DC to compete against one another, bidding up prices to get this now-scarce but life-saving material.

Virginia has signed a $27 million contract with Northfield, a Virginia-based logistics company, to produce more PPE for Virginia locations, as well as other contracts to handle distribution. The shipment is set to arrive next week. 

The state health department has so far shipped out the following supplies to hospitals and long-term care facilities:

• One million masks (including 435,000 N95 masks)
• 1.5 million gloves

If you want to help make sure our healthcare and frontline workers have the tools they need, see below for ways you can help.

Virginia Resources: If you are a Virginia production organization who is producing PPE or other medical equipment and would like to help responding to shortages of PPE, you can contact your local office of the Virginia Healthcare Emergency Management Program. They work with Virginia hospitals and healthcare systems to enhance the Commonwealth’s capabilities to prepare, respond, and recover from all hazards.

Potential vendor offers: Given the high volume of potential vendors, the Administration has established a more streamlined vendor evaluation process. Please direct all businesses with offers to [email protected]

PPE Donations: VDEM has issued the following survey to gather information from the private sector on offers of assistance to Virginia (donation, in-kind contribution, discounted): https://bit.ly/VaDonations. This applies to donation offers for tests, PPE, or other necessary equipment.

The Budget

The Governor's deadline to sign, amend, or veto bills, including any amendments to the budget that we passed, is midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning (April 11-12).

We will reconvene in Richmond on Wednesday April 22 to consider his budget changes, bill amendments, and vetoes. We are unlikely to meet in the Capitol though. We are scouring another location in Richmond large enough to accommodate appropriate social distancing.

As I outlined in my March 16 newsletter, I was very proud of the budget the General Assembly passed at the end of the legislative session. It included historic investments in education, healthcare, housing, environmental protection, and other hugely important priorities. It also left us a historically high (indeed a record) surplus to meet unplanned needs.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has changed much of that.

Well, that's what we provided the surplus for.

All discretionary spending is potentially on the chopping block. When we reconvene, we may well be faced with canceling raises for teachers, state employees, the Virginia State Police and/or local law enforcement. Our historic increases in K-12 funding may be significantly reduced as well, along with important investments in early childhood education.

A scary prospect.

Of course, it remains to be seen what the Governor will propose.

While budget cuts may be painful, we will have to do what is necessary to protect Virginians' lives. Still, I will fight to make sure that we cut as little "bone and muscle" as possible. I will update you as to our plans after the Governor releases his proposed amendments this weekend.

Thank You, Erik Gutshall

Arlington County Board Member Erik Gutshall announced yesterday that will be resigning from the Board to focus on his recovery from brain cancer.

Erik has long been a source of principled, smart, level-headed decision-making, both in his role on the County Board, and before that, as Planning Commissioner for Arlington County. I will miss working with him, and I'm really sorry to see him leave its service.

Please remember to check out my website's page on coronavirus for all the latest updates. We are doing are best to keep you up to speed on all developments. 

MarkforDelegate.com/coronavirus