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Northam Issues Order Limiting Public Gatherings to 10 People

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The ban mainly applies to places like theaters, restaurants, and gyms, and law enforcement personnel have the power to enforce it.

The state issued an order Tuesday that allows law enforcement to enforce a ban that prohibits more than 10 patrons in places such as restaurants, fitness centers, and theaters.

Gov. Ralph Northam and State Health Commissioner Norman Oliver issued a public health emergency order to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19.

“I hope that everyone will have the common sense to stay home tonight and in the days ahead,” Northam said. “This order will ensure that state and local officials have the tools they need to keep people safe.”

All Virginians should increase social distancing, avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, the state said. This follows federal guidelines announced Monday. 

Oliver announced at Tuesday’s press conference that two people in Virginia have died from the disease and 67 people are confirmed to have it, including one patient who is currently in a long-term care facility — which he said was “very concerning.” Oliver said about 48 tests are currently pending. The first confirmed Virginia case was announced on March 7.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is high, but the individual risk is dependent upon exposure. People over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions were urged to self-quarantine due to elevated vulnerability to the disease.

Oliver said that there are currently 300 to 400 COVID-19 testing kits in the commonwealth, with more on order. 

“I don’t want you to think that you are just getting a cold,” Oliver said. “This is a serious, serious pandemic and social distancing is, therefore, something we should do and take seriously, for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for our community.”

Oliver also said that there are federal plans to launch automated test sites and drive-through testing centers nationwide in the areas that have been hit the hardest by the disease.

Sentara Healthcare has opened several drive-through testing centers in Hampton Roads for those who are at the highest risk for the disease.

Northam has also rolled out new measures to support workers across the state that are being affected by closures due to the coronavirus, including eliminating the wait for unemployment benefits and increasing eligibility for unemployment status. 

Gov. Ralph Northam. Screenshot from press conference held Tuesday morning, via VCU-CNS.

Workers may be able to qualify for unemployment if their employer slows or ceases operations due to the disease, if they have been issued a notice to self-quarantine by a medical or public health official but are not receiving sick pay or medical leave, or if they are not receiving paid medical leave while staying home to take care of sick family members. The one-week unpaid waiting period was waived for benefits, and unemployment funds are available through the Virginia Employment Commission, Northam said. 

The state ordered all 75 offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles to close, in addition to urging the Supreme Court of Virginia to close all courts until April 6 for non-emergency or non-essential court proceedings. Online services are still available, the governor said, and 60-day extensions have been granted for expired licenses and registrations.

The State Corporation Commission also issued an order to suspend utility service disconnections for the next 60 days in order to provide relief for those financially impacted by COVID-19. 

“Together we will get through this and we will be a better Virginia,” Northam said. “Every single one of us has a personal responsibility in this situation, every one of us has a role in being part of the solution.”

The Virginia Department of Health currently has a 24-hour Coronavirus information hotline that can be reached at 877-ASK-VDH3 or 877-275-8343 for questions about the disease.

Written by Maia Stanley, Capital News Service. Top Photo: CNS photo by Lia Tabackman.

More Pedestrians Are Dying on Virginia’s Roads

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2018 saw the highest number of pedestrian deaths on Virginia roads in ten years. Two major Richmond-area roads were among the deadliest in the state.

On a Friday night in October, Katelyn Tilts was walking to a convenience store with a group of friends when she saw headlights coming at her.

“A car came around the corner really quickly and was swerving. The driver was swerving but started going directly at me and hit me head-on,” Tilts later told WTVR. “I remember thinking that it hurt so bad that I didn’t know how I would be able to make it until the ambulance got there.”

The hit-and-run incident left Tilts, a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University, hospitalized and on crutches. She survived, but many pedestrians hit by vehicles do not.

According to data from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles, 123 pedestrians died on the state’s roads in 2018 — the highest death toll in 10 years. 2019 also has been deadly: As of mid-December, 112 pedestrians have been killed in traffic accidents in the commonwealth.

Not only are more pedestrians being killed, but they also are making up a greater proportion of all traffic fatalities:

  • In 2015, 10 percent of the people killed in roadway accidents in Virginia were pedestrians.
  • That figure jumped to 16 percent the following year. Last year, it was 15 percent, according to VDOT and DMV data.

“The vast, overwhelming majority of people who die on our streets are killed by drivers of cars,” noted Ross Catrow, executive director of RVA Rapid Transit, an advocacy group for regional public transportation.

“And the further sad truth is that these deaths and serious injuries often go unnoticed, underreported, and, even worse, usually nothing is done to build better streets and make them safer for people,” Catrow wrote on Streets Cred, his website about urban issues affecting mid-sized American cities.

Catrow has pointed out that some people say pedestrians are at fault for the rising number of traffic accidents. He rejects that notion.

“I’m so ultra-tired of engineers, elected officials and everyone else blaming ‘distracted pedestrians’ for the increase in injuries on our roads,” he said on his “Good Morning, RVA” podcast.

Catrow advocates traffic-calming measures such as painted curb bulbs and posts that can narrow intersections, increase visibility, and slow down drivers to prevent pedestrian accidents.

Some people blame elderly drivers for causing accidents. But 25 percent of the motorists involved in traffic accidents that have killed pedestrians since 2013 were in their 20s — and half of them were under 40. About 22 percent of the drivers involved in pedestrian fatalities were 60 and older.

Ralph Aronberg, a traffic engineer consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said some people in their early 20s have poor driving habits.

“Drivers in that age group are more likely to use social media such as Instagram on their cellphone, are more likely to have groups in vehicles leading to distractions, and are less likely to realize the consequences of taking their eyes off the road,” he said.

Aronberg, whose firm focuses on accident reconstructions, said people in their early 20s are also more likely to drive at night, drink and drive, or be under the influence of THC or other mind-altering substances while operating a car.

Pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in Virginia since 2013 have ranged in age from infants to 96. About a third of the victims were under 30; slightly over a third in their 40s and 50s; and the rest 60 or older.

Since 2013, Fairfax has had the most pedestrian deaths — more than 80, according to VDOT data. Then come Henrico County (43), Norfolk (40), Richmond (31) and Newport News (27).

The roads with the most pedestrian fatalities during that time period were:

  • Jefferson Avenue, Newport News — seven
  • Route 11, Washington County — three
  • South Street, Front Royal — three
  • Southbound Route 288, Goochland County — three
  • Chamberlayne Avenue, Richmond — three

Weather was not a factor in most pedestrian deaths.

“Most vehicle-pedestrian accidents happen in good weather,” said Daniel Vomhof, a traffic safety expert in California and a member of the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstructionists.

More than 85 percent of the pedestrian fatalities in Virginia happened in clear or cloudy weather conditions, the VDOT data showed. About 13 percent occurred in rain, mist, or fog, and 1 percent in snowy weather.

To stay safe, Vomhof recommends that pedestrians wear white or reflective shoes at night and light-colored clothing that doesn’t blend in with the surroundings.

“Visibility increases when the object is in eye contrast to the background,” Vomhof said.

About the data in this report

The data for this project was downloaded from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Virginia Crashes | Virginia Roads website. It covers every vehicle crash in the state from 2013 to July of this year.

The data set contains more than 828,000 records. We filtered it for pedestrian accidents (about 11,000) and then for fatal pedestrian accidents (660).

We analyzed the data using Microsoft Excel, aggregating the data by locality, weather conditions and other columns in the spreadsheet.

We also used the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle’s online “Traffic Crash Data” tool to confirm and refine our analysis. We also ensured that the numbers were consistent with those published in the DMV’s report, 2018 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts.

Written by Kelly Booth and Judi Dalati, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash

VA Animal Shelter Makes Last Push for ‘Team Tommie’ License Plate

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A few more pre-orders and a General Assembly sponsor are all Richmond Animal Care and Control needs to establish a license plate design commemorating Tommie the pit bull.

A Virginia animal shelter wants to release a license plate in memory of Tommie the pit bull, who died after he was tied to a fence post and lit on fire, and the organization said it needs a final push to make it happen.

Richmond Animal Care and Control announced on its Facebook page late last month a license plate honoring the dog that captured hearts around the world. If approved, the plate would include a picture of an animated pit bull with the hashtag #TeamTommie and the organization’s logo.

Robin Young, RACC outreach coordinator, said the procedure to introduce a license plate into the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is standard. First, at least 450 license plates must be preordered. If that goal is reached, a bill can be submitted to the General Assembly in 2020. 

The proposed license plate design. (Image via Richmond Animal Care and Control)

Young said that as of Thursday over 270 applications were received, with more coming in every day. 

“We’ve definitely had a lot of support,” she said. “Now we just wait and see and promote it at this point to see if we can get the numbers.” 

Young said $10 per plate would go directly to the Tommie Fund, along with portions of the annual renewal fee. The Tommie Fund was implemented recently to help other shelters across the state cover emergency medical costs for animals in their care. 

It’s been almost a year since Tommie died. Jyahshua A. Hill was convicted of felony animal cruelty for chaining Tommie to a fence post in February, dousing him in a flammable liquid and then setting him on fire, after saying the dog attacked his child. 

Tommie was rescued by the firefighters stationed across the street, who ran over with a fire extinguisher, RACC said. The pit bull suffered burns on 40 percent of his body. RACC helped get Tommie to the Virginia Veterinary Center, and the VCU Medical Center Evans-Haynes Burn Trauma ICU assisted in his care as well. He died five days later, but not before his story spread globally and generated thousands of dollars in donations.

Tommie the pit bull was rescued after he was set on fire while tied to a pole. (Photo via Richmond Animal Care and Control)

Enough money came in that the shelter could offer a $25,000 reward to help find and convict his attacker. After his death, both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously passed a bill — already introduced before Tommie’s attack — to increase the penalty for animal abuse from a misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, which can draw up to five years in prison. Senate Bill 1604, introduced by Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, became known as “Tommie’s Law.” 

Tommie’s story lives on through fundraisers, commemorations — a patio and a beer named in his honor — and t-shirts. All of which combined has raised well over $100,000 to continue funding RACC’s community work. 

Katie Wittman, manager at Three Notch’d Brewing’s Broad Street location, said that Tommie’s Beer was a huge success and people from all over the East Coast called to ask about it. Portions of the beer sales were donated to Tommie’s Fund. 

RACC has until Dec. 31 to collect and submit the 450 preordered license plate applications needed before legislation can be introduced in the General Assembly for the official plates in 2020. The cost is $25 for a regular plate and $35 for a personalized plate.

Tommie the pit bull’s memorial at Abner Clay Park in Richmond. (Photo via VCU CNS)

As of now, no legislators have agreed to sponsor the legislation, but Young is confident there won’t be any issues getting someone to sign on and getting the plates released. 

Young said Tommie’s case has been “kind of above and beyond the norm for us.” 

“We expected people to be touched and outraged by it, but the amount of support and outrage received was even surprising for us — the level we got.”

Written by McKenzie Lambert, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Tommie the pit bull’s memorial at Abner Clay Park in Richmond, via VCU CNS