The latest
- 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.
- 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.
- People still need blood donations, and starting Saturday the Washington Capitals are on the case in Virginia.
- The death toll in Maryland doubled on Saturday from five to 10, 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.
- 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.
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 nursing home have tested positive for the disease, and 11 are in hospitals.
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.”
According to U.S. News and World Report, Pleasant View has 104 beds.
Region’s cases pass 2,400, 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 doubling to 10. 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 342 cases with five deaths.
That brings the number of confirmed cases in the District, Maryland and Virginia to 2,224.
See WTOP’s tracker of the number of cases, updated as information is released.
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.
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.
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