The Washington Post - 13.03.2020

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METRO

friday, march 13 , 2020. washingtonpost.com/regional eZ sU B

MARYLAND

the Maryland house gave

final approval to a bill

prohibiting single-use

plastic bags. B8

THE REGION

a software fix is coming for

Metro’s 70 00-series train

car doors that shut before

the warning message. B6

OBITUARIES

lawyer agnes neill

williams, 89, was in the

first class at georgetown

59 ° 70 ° 72 ° 62 ° that admitted women. B6

8 a.m. Noon 4 p.m. 8 p.m.

High today at

approx. 3 p.m.

74

°

Precip: 55%

Wind: W

10-20 mph

BY DONNA ST. GEORGE,

HANNAH NATANSON

AND JOE HEIM

Hundreds of schools in Maryland

and suburban Virginia are closing in

coming days in response t o the corona-

virus pandemic as officials try to

protect students and contain the

spread of covid-19.

In northern Virginia’s Loudoun

County, all classes and other school

activities are canceled through March

20, in a sudden measure taken by one

of Virginia’s largest school systems.

In Maryland, state superintendent

of schools Karen salmon announced

that campuses would be closed from

March 16 to 27 — a two-week period

that will cancel classes for more than

900,000 students in public schools

across the state.

“It is crucial t hat we take immediate

measures to slow the spread of covid-

19 in school communities around the

state,” salmon said, appearing beside

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Thursday as

see schools on b3

Maryland,

Loudoun

County close

their schools

BY GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER

AND LAURA VOZZELLA

RICHMOND — Jubilant Demo-

crats finished a historic legisla-

tive session Thursday under a

cloud of uncertainty, with action

on the state’s $135 billion two-

year spending plan vying for time

with updates on the rapid spread

of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Ralph northam declared

a state of emergency over the

virus before the General Assem-

bly adjourned, saying the num-

ber of confirmed infections

across the state had grown to 15,

plus two Virginians in Te xas.

The legislature’s end was five

days late but seemed an eon from

its opening in January. Flush

with the power o f new majorities,

Democrats used the 65-day ses-

sion to move the state decisively

to the left, leading the south in

areas such as renewable energy

mandates, protections for wom-

en, minorities and workers, and

broader access to voting.

But some lawmakers worried

that the state budget approved

and sent to the governor on

Thursday was a relic from a

stronger, more optimistic econo-

my. This week’s huge stock mar-

ket losses and concern about a

slowdown in retail, tourism and

manufacturing led the senate to

see budget on b5

Va. Assembly ends eventful session

BY TOM JACKMAN

At his capital murder trial nine

years ago, Mark e. Lawlor did not

deny that he raped and murdered

Genevieve P. o range. A twice-con-

victed felon, he admitted that as a

leasing agent for orange’s apart-

ment building in the Falls Church

area, he used his keys to enter her

apartment and then repeatedly

bludgeoned her with a hammer

and a frying pan. For the jury,

there was only one issue: should

Lawlor be put to death?

“Gini” orange was 29, an event

planner for the Futures Industry

Association in the District and an

active member of McLean Bible

Church. some of her friends from

the church and orange’s mother

sat through every day of the eight-

week trial, including the grue-

some details of her slaying. They

heard testimony about Lawlor’s

horrific childhood and his law-

yers’ claim that he was too intoxi-

cated on crack cocaine and beer

to form the intent needed for

premeditated murder. A Fairfax

County jury heard it, too, and

sentenced Lawlor to die.

But a federal appeals court

ruled in 2018 that the judge in the

case had wrongly prevented Law-

lor’s lawyers from presenting evi-

dence about Lawlor’s future dan-

gerousness, a factor jurors must

see lawlor on b5

Man in 2011 Va. murder resentenced

The Centers for Disease

Control and

Prevention: “Do not go

to work, school, or

public areas” if you are

feeling sick.

About 32 million

American wage

workers: That’s a no-go.

Calling in sick is not an option for

millions of American workers, not just

during the covid-19 pandemic, but

every day.

“We can’t,” said a manicurist at a

silver spring nail salon, pulling his

mask down to talk to me. “We just

have to try to stay healthy.”

He didn’t say why. He didn’t have to.

our national workforce equation

means that the more likely a worker (a

pizzamaker, a driver, a day-care

teacher, a manicurist) is to come into

close contact with scores of people

every day, the less likely i t is that they

will be able to afford to take a day off

without catastrophic, personal

impact.

see dvorak on b3

Most-exposed

people often lack

paid sick leave

Petula

Dvorak

salwan georges/the washington Post

above: a student wears a face mask thursday during a tour of the capitol hill rotunda, where tours have now been halted. below: a traveler wears a

mask in union station; cases of covid-19 have risen in the area, driving some residents to confront a new normal by stocking up and staying inside.

BY PAUL SCHWARTZMAN

Becky Reina, a mother of two chil-

dren who lives in northwest Washing-

ton, was not about to wait for any

more anxiety-inducing announce-

ments about the novel coronavirus.

When they came into her bedroom

early Thursday, as they do every

morning, Reina told Abigail, 6, and

Thomas, 8, they would not be going to

Cleveland elementary school that day

— or any day in the near future.

Instead, her kids spent the morning

eating chocolate chip pancakes, gar-

dening, working on homework pack-

ets and “trying to hang out without

killing each other,” said Reina, who

lives in the LeDroit Park neighbor-

hood.

Yes, she understands that some

people might accuse her of overreact-

ing and that, because her kids are

young, “it would not be a big deal” i f

they caught the virus.

“But they could infect others,” she

said. “A nd that would be big deal.”

As anxiety over the coronavirus

ballooned into a full-blown interna-

tional crisis, choices that once seemed

simple only hours ago were now

fraught with existential danger, as the

Washington region grappled with a

new normal of jarring warnings and

ominous announcements.

From deciding whether to shake

hands, go to the office or play in a

pickup basketball game, Washingto-

nians and their neighbors in Virginia

and Maryland found themselves ask-

ing whether engaging in the most

mundane of activities was worth the

risk of exposing themselves to the

virus that causes covid-19.

While some were in full retreat,

see local virus on b4

In D.C., anxiety and acceptance coexist

Matt Mcclain/the washington Post

BY DARRAN SIMON,

ERIN COX

AND LAURA VOZZELLA

Maryland will close public schools

for two weeks starting Monday, and

Gov. Larry Hogan imposed broad re-

strictions including a ban on g ather-

ings of 250 people or more, the most

aggressive steps yet in a region that has

started to shut down to stop the spread

of the novel coronavirus.

Hours after the announcement, the

Washington Archdiocese said it would

close 93 Catholic schools in the District

and its Maryland suburbs, and sus-

pend public celebrations of Mass in

church indefinitely.

Virginia Gov. Ralph northam d e-

clared a state of emergency and can-

celed conferences and out-of-state

travel for public employees. Arlington

national Cemetery will be closed to

visitors starting Friday, with strict

rules in place for funerals, and the

smithsonian Institution said the na-

tional Zoo and its museums would shut

down starting saturday.

such changes are critical to limit

how quickly the virus spreads, physi-

cians on Hogan’s Coronavirus Re-

sponse Te am said at a news conference

with the governor, and to ensure hospi-

tals are not overwhelmed.

“We can all fight back against this

virus, and in fact, we need to,” said

David Marcozzi, an associate chair at

the University of Maryland school of

Medicine. “The earlier that we do this,

the more layers we put in place, the less

this virus can be transmitted.”

since the first cases of the virus were

diagnosed a week ago, the number of

people ill from covid-19 in the District,

Maryland and Virginia has climbed

above 40.

Using his emergency powers, Hogan

(R) curtailed hospital visits, closed

senior centers, suspended prison visits

and ordered state employees who can

work from home to do so.

state officials said they were work-

ing on plans to provide child care for

essential workers, including health-

care workers. Day-care centers will

remain open for now, but the state is

considering whether they must be

shuttered, too, officials said.

The governor also activated the na-

tional Guard, closed the cruise ship

terminal at the Port of Baltimore and

sealed off public access to state build-

see region on b2

Region ramps up response, hunkers down

HoGAN oRDERS SCHooLS CLoSED FoR two wEEKS

93 local Catholic schools to shutter; state of emergency in Va.

THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAk

Area residents are either altering their routines or staying the course amid the coronavirus outbreak

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