The Washington Post - 19.03.2020

KLMNO

METRO

THURSDAy, MARCH 19 , 2020. WASHINGTONPOST.COM/REGIONAL eZ sU B

JoHn KeLLY’s WAsHInGton

a curious manuscript in

georgetown sends the

archivist at tudor Place on

a history hunt. B3

tHe DIstrICt

ex-council member Jack

evans withdraws from the

special election triggered

by his resignation. B4

oBItUArIes

Ly le Waggoner, 84,

gained fame as a straight

man on “the carol

56 ° 67 ° 76 ° 71 ° burnett show.” B6

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

High today at

approx. 5 p.m.

77

°

Precip: 40%

Wind: WSW

6-12 mph

BY DANIELLE

DOUGLAS-GABRIEL

Despite suffering from bron-

chitis at the beginning of the

semester, Valeria Pappas-Brown,

48, soldiered on to teach biology

classes at the Community College

of Baltimore County. The part-

time instructor suspects that

trudging from one class to anoth-

er — instead of resting — pro-

longed her illness. But she could

not afford to miss class.

“Because of the pay, because of

the sick leave — I just don’t have

enough accrued — I can’t take

any time off,” Pappas-Brown said.

she fears the possibility o f once

again having to choose between

her health and her financial well-

being as Maryland and the rest of

the nation contend with the novel

coronavirus pandemic.

The spread of the coronavirus

in the United states is rattling

adjunct instructors. Few receive

health insurance through the col-

leges and universities where they

work, and fewer still have paid

sick leave. even adjuncts with

access to paid time off say there

are barriers that impede their

ability to take advantage of the

benefit.

The Families First Coronavirus

Response Act held out hope that

any workers sidelined by the

disease could count on paid time

off. But in a compromise to pass

the legislation, lawmakers nar-

see Adjuncts on B4

Adjuncts’

lack of

leave leads

to worries

Amid the uncertainty, one sure thing: Appreciation of our teachers

It is not yet

lunchtime, and I

have already

explained climate

change to a 7-

year-old, made a

homemade book

with a 5-year-old

and turned my

kitchen table into a glittery

mess.

I can do this , I think.

My God, how long will I have

to do this? I also think.

If I had to home-school my

children under different

circumstances, it might be fun,

energizing even. But quarantine-

forced home schooling is not

some planned adventure. It is

the parenting equivalent of that

“naked and Afraid” show, in

which people are suddenly

dropped into the wild, exposed

from their necks to their toes,

and expected to survive using

only their wits and creativity.

one major difference (besides

pants), though, is that at least

the participants on that show

enter the unknown with a

definitive exit date. They know

they only have to live that way

for 21 days. Right now, parents

across the country are trying to

work from home while also

teaching their children math,

science, reading, writing,

geography, art and whatever else

they were already studying in

school, not knowing if they will

have to do that for weeks or

months.

The result: Many of us can’t

wait for this reality show to end.

The other result: Many of us

have thought more about our

children’s teachers in the past

three days than we have in the

past three months.

on Wednesday, Ivanka Trump

posted on Twitter, “I thought

that my respect for our nation’s

teachers couldn’t get any higher

... but after this past week it’s

definitely at peak level!”

she isn’t the only one feeling

that way.

so much remains unknown

about how the novel coronavirus

is going to affect our health, our

economy and our way of life in

this country. But amid all that

uncertainty, one undoubtable

positive that will emerge with

many of us from our homes

when it finally feels safe again

for crowds to gather and for

see VArgAs on B4

theresa

Vargas

tHeresa Vargas/tHe WasHIngton Post

theresa Vargas’s son makes edible slime as part of a science lesson

as work-from-home life meets home schooling across the country.

BY ERIN COX,

OVETTA WIGGINS

AND RACHEL CHASON

T

he last day of a historic session of

the Maryland General Assembly be-

gan with a long line at the hand-

sanitizing station.

Back in January, the session held

promise for a new era in state politics.

Lawmakers had convened under new leader-

ship for the first time in 16 years, with the

barrier-breaking ascension of the first black

and first female House speaker and a crop of

younger, more liberal politicians in key posi-

tions.

But the global coronavirus pandemic ab-

breviated the annual marathon of policymak-

ing for the first time since the Civil War.

Working with a skeleton crew, in conditions

that defied social distancing guidelines,

Maryland’s 188 lawmakers passed about

500 bills in a matter of days this week and

adjourned nearly three weeks early while the

Maryland national Guard was stationed out-

side.

The legislature rushed to secure the top

priorities of the Democratic majority: a pack-

age of tax increases that targets the digital

economy, new laws to help cushion an expect-

ed virus-related economic free fall, and a

curtailed version of a top-to-bottom revamp

of public schools that was more than three

years in the making.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who had urged

lawmakers to disperse as soon as feasible, has

been sharply critical of some of those policies.

His spokesman declined to say whether the

governor would veto the bills or allow them to

become law.

At the unrelenting urging of House speaker

Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), the

legislature ended a 13-year-old lawsuit involv-

see mArylAnd on B5

Md. lawmakers speed through bills

In session cut short by health crisis, schools overhaul, tax increases and virus response funds get nod

PHotos by brIan WItte/assocIated Press

Peak bloom during pandemic

What to know if you plan to visit the

cherry blossoms. B8

BY DARRAN SIMON,

KYLE SWENSON,

RACHEL CHASON

AND JENNA PORTNOY

Maryland announced its first

coronavirus fatality Wednesday

night as the number of patients in

the greater Washington area

passed 200 and medical facilities

worked to expand testing c apacity

and a dd hospital beds.

The man who d ied was a Prince

George’s County resident in his

60s who had an underlying medi-

cal condition, officials said.

“A s we pray for his loved ones, I

ask that we continue to pray for

each other, for our state, and for

our nation as we face this crisis

to gether,” Gov. Larry Hogan (R)

said in a statement. “We must use

every possible resource at every

level of government to save lives

and keep p eople safe.”

Two men from Virginia’s east-

ern peninsula also have died of the

virus in recent days.

G eorge Washington University

Hospital opened a tent to treat

coronavirus patients at its Foggy

Bottom campus, the latest facility

to set up triage and treatment or

drive-through testing sites sepa-

rate from non-coronavirus pa-

tients.

Maryland officials say they are

see regIon on B2

Md.

records

1st virus

death

mAN, IN 60S, hAd A

heALth CONdItION

Area hospitals scramble

for more beds, resources

toP: del. Keith e. Haynes (d-Baltimore city) sanitizes his hands on the last day of an abbreviated session in Annapolis. the novel

coronavirus pandemic changed routines at the state House for elected officials and others interested in observing the legislative process.

ABoVe: House speaker Adrienne A. jones (d-Baltimore county) oversaw the conclusion of a lawsuit involving the state and four

historically black colleges and universities. she had called it a “stain on the national reputation of maryland’s higher education system.”

Higher education

Maryland is poised to limit the revenue for-profit

colleges can receive from veterans. B5

tHe CoronAVIrUs oUtBreAK

BY PETER HERMANN

A second D.C. firefighter has

tested positive for the novel coro-

navirus, and officials are tracing

that person’s contacts with col-

leagues and community mem-

bers, the fire department an-

nounced Wednesday night.

I n total, 73 city firefighters,

pa ramedics and emergency medi-

cal technicians have self-quaran-

tined after exposure or p otential

exposure to the v irus, according t o

the president of the firefighters

union.

The department has about

1,800 members, and the labor

leader said temporarily losing six

dozen first responders will not

hamper response or staffing. “We

have the ability to adapt and over-

come,” s aid Dabney Hudson, pres-

ident of t he International Associa-

tion of F irefighters Local 36.

Hudson said one group of po-

tentially exposed firefighters had

recently returned from a trip to a

resort out of the country to cele-

brate 20-year anniversaries with

the d epartment. T hey met the f ed-

eral criteria for quarantine, but

Hudson said none exhibited

symptoms or have been tested. At

least six of those are expected to

return this week, Hudson said.

The other emergency workers

under quarantine are linked to a

D.C. firefighter who worked out of

two stations in southeast Wash-

ington and tested positive for the

virus this week. His partner in an

ambulance also tested positive,

fire officials said Wednesday. The

others a re in isolation b ut have n ot

been tested and do not show

see fIrefIgHters on B2

73 D.C. firefighters, first responders a re under self-quarantine

Union leader: Staffing

won’t be hampered after

2 test positive for virus