TIM HUGO COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS: LEE J. CARTER TRANSPORTATION POST OFFICE BOX 243 FINANCE MANASSAS, VIRGINIA 20108 COUNTIES, CITIES AND TOWNS FIFTIETH DISTRICT
21 March, 2020
Governor Ralph S. Northam
Post Office Box 1475 Richmond, VA 23218
Governor Northam,
In recognition of the unique health challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19, and the lack of adequate response from the federal government, I am calling on you to take immediate action to protect the lives of all Virginians. If allowed to continue on its current trajectory, estimates from epidemiologists show that COVID-19 could infect more than 70% of the US population within the next six months. An infection rate that high and that rapid would likely result in hundreds of thousands of deaths in Virginia from the direct effects of the virus alone, and an unknown number of additional preventable deaths from other conditions which will go untreated due to lack of hospital and healthcare capacity during the crisis.
While the efforts currently being taken by the Commonwealth are commensurate to the official number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, the available evidence of community spread suggests that the official total of confirmed cases is far below the actual number of infections. Healthcare providers throughout the Commonwealth are currently seeing an influx of patients with symptoms that suggest COVID-19 but who are unable to be tested. These healthcare providers are also unable to acquire adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent nosocomial transmission from these patients to others within the healthcare setting.
Additionally, what has been seen in other countries like China and Italy who are already in the midst of this crisis is a significant spike in demand for hospital beds, far beyond capacity, that lags behind mass exposure to infection by several weeks. I am encouraged by today’s Executive Order Number Fifty-Two, which aims to address this concern, but that order alone is insufficient.
As such, the time to act is before large numbers of Virginians require hospitalization, not when they arrive. I am calling for you to take the following actions immediately, all of which have been implemented in other parts of the United States:
Order all Virginians to shelter in place within their homes, except for work on food and medical supply distribution, critical infrastructure, or life and safety
Order the immediate closure of all bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues to all but delivery and carry-out service Begin the immediate conversion of unused facilities such as schools, shelters, and hotels to increase surge healthcare and isolation capacity Immediately provide for temporary accommodation of all unhoused people within the Commonwealth Order the immediate suspension of all non-critical medical and dental procedures to preserve PPE supplies for critical care Take necessary steps to ensure prompt and regular COVID-19 testing for all healthcare workers with suspected exposure, to prevent spread within healthcare facilities
Taking these steps now carries the potential to save tens of thousands of lives. I urge you to undertake these actions without delay.
Sincerely,
Lee J. Carter Delegate Virginia’s Fiftieth District
