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Boy Collects 6,000 Protective Items For Hospital Staff | Patch PM

DC mayor's staff member dies, governor calls for federal testing site, Virginia cases top 600, Real ID deadline delayed: Patch PM

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Zohaib Begg, a second-grader from Ashburn, hit the jackpot when he began going to local hotels in the area to collect items for front-line health care workers.
Zohaib Begg, a second-grader from Ashburn, hit the jackpot when he began going to local hotels in the area to collect items for front-line health care workers. (Courtesy of Isma Zubair)

There was plenty of news across Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia on Friday. If you missed any of it on your local Patch, here's a roundup of some of the top stories from the past 24 hours.

Latest Coronavirus News In DC/VA

VA Pastor, Musician Dies From Coronavirus He Had Questioned

A 66-year-old Virginia resident who fell ill with the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, on a trip to New Orleans died Wednesday morning at a hospital in Concord, North Carolina. The death of Landon Spradlin, an accomplished musician and a pastor, has drawn viral attention online, in part because earlier this month Spradlin questioned whether media coverage of the disease was overblown.

Coronavirus Cases Surpass 600 In Virginia, 14 Deaths Reported

Cases of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, increased by more than 100 from Thursday to Friday, according to the latest count from the Virginia Department of Health. Cases are up to 604 statewide, with 83 of the patients hospitalized. The state reported 14 deaths. The number of people tested in Virginia increased from 6,189 to 7,337.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

VA Governor Seeks Federal Coronavirus Test Site, Forgoes Neckties

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wants the Trump administration to set up a federal testing site for the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area that would be able to handle the large number of federal employees. The region is home to more than 360,000 federal workers, many of whom work in critical federal agencies, Northam said Friday in a coronavirus news briefing in Richmond.

2nd-Grader Gives 6K Masks, Caps To Hospital Staff: Coronavirus

A second-grade boy from Ashburn has been spending his time off from school trying to come up with ideas to help front-line health care workers who are taking care of a growing number of patients sick with the new coronavirus, or COVID-19. This week, 7-year-old Zohaib Begg hit the jackpot when he began going to local hotels in the Ashburn area to see if they had any shower caps to donate to hospitals.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Bowser Staff Member Dies From Coronavirus

A staff member of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser who recently tested positive for the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, died Friday morning from the virus. Bowser made the announcement during a Friday morning briefing on the city's coronavirus response.

Real ID Deadline In VA, DC Delayed A Year By Coronavirus

Just as leaders in DC and Virginia were fretting that residents wouldn't meet the Real ID deadline to have driver's licenses and state IDs meet federal security standards, the new coronavirus outbreak stepped in. On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said that the new date to be compliant is a year later: October 1, 2021.

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