Northam Seeks Action On VA Elections, Coronavirus Racial Data

VIRGINIA — As cases of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, continue to rise, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced actions Wednesday related to upcoming elections and addressed efforts to improve racial data reporting on confirmed cases.

Northam is using statutory authority to move the June 9 primary to June 23. The new election date falls outside the governor's stay-at-home order, which is effective through June 10. He also proposed moving May local elections to Nov. 3, but that would require action from the Virginia General Assembly. The General Assembly will reconvene on April 22.

If approved by the state legislature, absentee ballots cast so far for May local elections would be discarded. Ballots would include those local elections and other races on the ballot in November. Officials whose terms would expire on June 30, 2020 would stay in office until the November election makes successors qualified to serve.

"No one should have to choose between protecting their health and casting a ballot," said Northam at a Wednesday press conference. "Holding in-person elections right now would put the health of our voters and our election workers at risk."

Northam said that no Virginia hospitals have run out of personal protective equipment, but his discussions with hospital CEOs revealed their worries about not having enough PPE. The state is distributing supplies such as gloves, gowns, N95 masks, face shields, coveralls and hand sanitizers and is working to find more. After the state signed a $27 million contract to obtain personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, Northam expects the shipment in a matter of days.

Supplies go to hospitals, nursing homes and other medical care facilities via local health departments and health coalitions. The state has distributed 1.5 million gloves and more than 430,000 N95 masks.

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Northam estimates the state received around 10 percent of supplies requested from FEMA, but he acknowledged that FEMA is directing many supplies to COVID-19 "hot spots" like New York and New Orleans. Should the Washington, DC region become a hot spot, Northam expects FEMA would redirect some supplies to the region.

Northam said the state looks at coronavirus data hourly and is preparing for different scenarios. As of Wednesday, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicted Virginia's peak hospital resource use will happen on April 20. The University of Virginia is preparing a Virginia-specific model to predict the COVID-19 peak. Northam expects more information on that model in the next few days.

With data in some U.S. jurisdictions indicating deaths from coronavirus are disproportionately impacting African-Americans, Northam directed the Virginia Department of Health to track racial data in the state's confirmed cases.

"We know that longstanding racial inequities in things like access to health care, education and economic opportunities lead to differences in underlying health conditions," the governor said. "The existence of such inequities is one reason why communities of colors, including African American people, are more likely to have some of the underlying health conditions that put them at a greater risk with COVID-19."

The Virginia Department of Health's count of confirmed COVID-19 cases does not have racial data for all cases. As of Wednesday, race was not reported for about 54 percent of cases. Northam said the state is exploring ways to ensure private laboratories and health care providers report this data.

The Virginia Department of Health reported 3,645 COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths statewide on Wednesday. The death total may not reflect the latest numbers from localities; 32 people at Henrico County's Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center have died from COVID-19 complications, and more than 100 others have been diagnosed with the disease, according to WTVR.

Virginia's 3,645 cases include 615 hospitalizations. So far, 30,645 people have been tested in Virginia. The Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, continues to have the most cases in the state, with 570 positive cases. The next highest totals are 291 in Henrico County, 263 in Prince William County, 254 in Arlington County, 238 in Loudoun County and 207 in Virginia Beach.

Northam says his office will meet the deadline for signing, amending or vetoing bills midnight on Saturday. The governor's office is working through 1,291 bills passed by the Virginia Assembly. However, the two-year budget bill the General Assembly passed in March will not move forward without changes.

"We are expecting a recession with a drastic reduction in our revenues paired with large increases in spending to fight this epidemic," said Northam. "I am working closely with the speaker and other legislative leaders on budget amendments that will allow us to deal with the changing revenue situation."

Northam also directed the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) to defer fees for license and permit renewals, impacting about 6,000 businesses. ABC will also allow businesses with mixed beverage licenses to offer mixed drinks through takeout and delivery, effective April 9.