SATURDAy, MARCH 14 , 2020. THE WASHINGTON POST eZ re B5
nearby and we can scramble and
put it together, but I’m worried
about low-income families being
affected.”
At CentroNía — a day care with
four sites in the District and m ary-
land that serves mostly low-in-
come families — administrators
had w orked t o ensure that p arents
and s taff members understand t he
importance of hygiene in mitigat-
ing their exposure to the virus.
They had extra signs around the
centers in Spanish, Amharic and
English reminding people to w ash
their hands and informing par-
ents about the o utbreak.
Still, myrna Peralta, president
of CentroNía, said staff made the
difficult decision friday to close
the day care until April 1. She said
the c enters h ad b een e xperiencing
a drop in attendance in recent
days, with only 60 of 200 children
showing up t o one facility friday.
Speight-marshall — who runs
her day care with help from her
mother, daughter and grand-
daughter — said she sends photos
of children washing their h ands t o
their parents each day to empha-
size the importance of hygiene to
families. She is considering clos-
ing the center monday so she can
give her h ome a deeper clean.
In recent weeks, she has spent
more money o n cleaning supplies.
That means less money for out-
ings with the children, b ut she s aid
it’s a worthwhile trade if it keeps
the c hildren, p arents a nd her f am-
ily healthy.
Jeannette Bowen, a lab techni-
cian with two daughters at miss
P’s, said she doesn’t know what
she would do if the day care shut
down. Work is busy for her during
the coronavirus outbreak. Her
husband is a firefighter.
“If Angelique shuts down,” she
said. “I have no child care.”
[email protected]Laura Meckler contributed to this
report.ship. Their travel was in february.
There are also several patients
in the region who appear to have
caught the virus at recent confer-
ences where multiple attendees
have now tested positive. These
include a Baltimore County man
who attended an American Israel
Public Affairs Committee confer-
ence in the District and a D.C.
resident who attended the confer-
ence hosted by biotech firm Bio-
gen in Boston.
Two patients in Northern Vir-
ginia have links to the military.
one is a U.S. marine who lives at
marine Corps Base Quantico and
who reportedly works for the
Defense Security Cooperation
Agency at office spaces in Crystal
City in Arlington County. He was
traveling internationally for work
before developing symptoms, au-
thorities said.
The other is a U.S. Navy civilian
employee at the Navy’s Bureau of
medicine and Surgery in falls
Church. Health officials are un-
sure where the Navy employee, a
man in his 50s who lives in
Spotsylvania County, contracted
the virus.
f ive of the regions’s patients
are connected to Christ Church
Georgetown, an 800-family Epis-
copal church in the posh North-
west neighborhood. The rev.
Timothy Cole, the church rector,
became the region’s first publicly
named patient on Sunday when
he wrote a letter to congregants
saying he had tested positive for
the virus.
on monday, a church spokes-
man said organist To m Smith had
contracted the disease, and in the
following days, three other indi-
viduals associated with the
church also tested positive.
It is not immediately clear
where Cole caught the virus. He
has not traveled internationally
in recent months, but he attended
an Episcopal conference on feb.
22 in Louisville, which has been
linked to two other cases of coro-
navirus elsewhere.
Cole, who presided over multi-
ple services before he was diag-
nosed and isolated, is one of a
handful patients in the region
who may have exposed the virus
to large groups of people, authori-
ties say. Soon after his case was
confirmed, D.C. mayor muriel E.rus testing, despite visiting Chase
in the hospital daily before her
diagnosis. But they were not ill as
of friday, and public health au-
thorities are prioritizing tests for
people showing symptoms. Ex-
perts warn that negative tests for
asymptomatic people exposed to
the virus could lead to a false
sense of security, because those
people could later develop symp-
toms and transmit the virus.
Chase said she spoke to a repre-
sentative from the D.C. Health
Department on Thursday. She
said the official told her that
hospital had provided an outdat-
ed home phone number, which
may have caused a delay.
She was asked about hospital
visitors, she said. But she did not
recall being asked about social
events she had attended before
developing symptoms, including
a 75th birthday party the week-
end before her hospitalization
and the wellness center at the
University of the District of Co-
lumbia the day before her hospi-
talization.
Lucy Wilson, an infectious-dis-
ease specialist and faculty mem-
ber at the University of maryland
Baltimore County, s aid the nature
of contact tracing changes as dis-
eases spread.
“The point of contact tracing in
early stages is to contain the
disease and to try to limit the
spread of the disease to others
and to slow the disease down,”
Wilson said. “often once you get
to a point where it’s more wide-
spread, you need to focus your
resources on prevention and
treatment.”Where did patients get the
virus?
Twenty of the region’s known
patients recently traveled over-
seas, including 10 who went on
cruises in Egypt, though not all at
the same time or on the same
ship. The cruise ship Asara, which
traveled along the Nile from As-
wan to Luxor in early march, has
been linked to more than 40 cases
of coronavirus, including several
Americans.
It is not immediately clear
whether the six marylanders and
four Virginians who went on a
cruise in Egypt had been on the
Asara or were guests on anotherBowser (D) called for anyone who
went to the church on certain
days in recent weeks to self-quar-
antine.
Two of the first three mont-
gomery County patients also were
reportedly with large groups of
people when they may have been
contagious. one interacted with
school-age children and adults at
an event in the Philadelphia sub-
urbs and another attended a post-
funeral reception at the Village at
rockville, a retirement communi-
ty in rockville, md.
Hogan told attendees of the
rockville event to monitor their
health and said Wednesday that
anyone who was present or who
lives or works at t he Village can be
tested for the virus if they want.
Unlike Bowser, however, Hogan
has not issued broad recommen-
dations for them to self-quaran-
tine.
T he decision to recommend
self-quarantine is informed by
several factors, said montgomery
County Health officer Travis Gay-
les, including the nature and du-
ration of an infected person’s in-
teraction with others.
If bodily fluids are exchanged
at any point — such as if a doctor
has treated a patient without the
right protective gear, or if food or
liquid is shared — the individuals
in contact with a patient are likely
to be considered “high risk” and
urged to self-quarantine, Gayles
said.
In the case of the feb. 28 shiva
event in rockville, attendees who
are asymptomatic and do not
recall having physical interaction
with the patient are unlikely to
have the virus.How are the patients doing?
The novel coronavirus, which
has mystified scientists, is signifi-
cantly more harmful to older
adults and those with existing
chronic illnesses such as heart
disease and diabetes. A recent
World Health organization re-
port found that the fatality rate
for covid-19 patients over the age
of 80 in China was 21.9 percent.
of the 32 patients in the Wash-
ington region whose ages are
known, 16 are above the age of 60,
placing them at h igher risk. There
are more men than women.
officials have not released the
medical status of all patients, but
nearly half are being isolated at
home. Eight have been hospital-
ized and one — the Prince
George’s man whose exposure is
unknown — is in critical condi-
tion, according to authorities.
But some patients have also
made progress: the first three
individuals who were reported to
have covid-19 in montgomery
County have fully recovered, said
Gayles, the county’s health officer,
on Thursday.
The three individuals — a cou-
ple in their 70s and an unrelated
woman in her 50s — recently
tested negative for the virus and
have been released from quaran-
tine.
[email protected]
[email protected]week tally is a relatively small
number, it is certain to grow,
potentially mirroring the type of
exponential increase first seen in
China, then in Italy and now in
metropolitan areas across the
United States.
In New York, where the gover-
nor has created a one-mile con-
tainment zone in suburban New
rochelle, the caseload grew from
zero to 216 in less than two weeks.
In Washington state, where more
than two dozen mostly elderly
patients have died of the novel
coronavirus, the number of cases
grew from zero to 366 in 50 days.stopping the spread
Containment efforts are con-
centrated in emergency com-
mand centers on the region. In
maryland’s montgomery County,
health officials are hunkered in a
converted conference room in Sil-
ver Spring, mobilizing staff and
resources for what could be
months of work.
These officials have expertise
in infectious diseases. many led
the response to the spread of
Ebola and the H1N1 crisis, and
some dealt with the 2001 anthrax
attacks. But Sean o’Donnell, the
health department’s lead on
emergency planning, said con-
taining covid-19 is especially chal-
lenging because it is highly conta-
gious and spreads easily from
person to person.
on Thursday, Prince George’s
County announced maryland’s
first confirmed case of “commu-
nity transmission,” a man in his
60s who had not recently traveled
or interacted with an existing
patient.
The case, which suggests that
the virus is spreading unknow-
ingly through the community,
marks a “new phase” i n the state’s
covid-19 response, said maryland
Gov. Larry Hogan (r). State offi-
cials announced school and
building closures, shut down the
Port of Baltimore for cruise ships
that had been in overseas ports
and banned gatherings of more
than 250 people.
Given the evidence of commu-
nity transmission, Hogan said,
“We should expect the number of
cases to rapidly and aggressively
rise.”
D.C. resident Anne Chase, 69,
also tested positive with no
known exposure. She went to the
hospital march 4 for headaches
and confusion, then developed a
cough and pneumonia. She was
tested last weekend and learned
she had the virus on Wednesday
evening, hours after D.C. officials
announced a 69-year-old woman
with unknown causes had con-
tracted the virus.
“It’s no joke, especially to older
people,” Chase said in a phone
interview from her hospital isola-
tion room. “I have no idea how I
got this, and I wish the govern-
ment was testing more people.”
Her daughter and husband are
among those who have not been
able to get approval for coronavi-Victims from B1Pr. George’s had fi rst ‘community transmission’
cies to open facilities that would
serve young children whose par-
ents are not able to work r emotely,
including hospital workers.
Plans have not been finalized,
and it is unclear how many slots
there will be a nd w ho will qualify.
“We recognize that we do still
need day cares to function, some
of them, not all of them,” Bowser
said. “We are working on the slots
that we think w e need.”
Government subsidies that
help low-income families afford
day care would continue to flow to
the centers even if they are closed,
according to city officials. B ut cen-
ters could still lose significant
cash if parents stop paying enroll-
ment fees, rendering them unable
to pay employees.
Julie Kashen — director of
women’s economic justice at the
Century foundation, a liberal
think tank — said the coronavirus
could expose inadequacies and in-
equities in the nation’s early-child-
hood education. If a day care clos-
es, wealthier parents may have an
easier time staying home with
their children than low-income
parents, who often do not have
paid leave.
many d ay-care workers are low-
wage employees who lack sick
leave benefits, and Kashen said
she f ears some m ay f eel compelled
to show up for work even if they
are ill.
There is also concern that par-
daycare from B1
Amid virus
closures, a
struggle to
stay open
to extend unemployment to as
many types of workers as possible
who are impacted.”
In p arts of the country hit h ard-
est by the coronavirus, day cares
have already started to close. Eliz-
abeth Anderson, the mother of a
10-month old in New rochelle,
N.Y., scrambled to find alternative
child-care options when she
learned Thursday her day care
would close.
New rochelle is considered the
epicenter of New York’s outbreak,could provide a reprieve for work-
ers, including day-care employees,
who could l ose their wages during
coronavirus-related closures.
Council member Elissa Silverman
(I-At Large), who chairs the labor
committee, s aid part o f the l egisla-
tion would attempt to ensure that
D.C. residents who miss pay-
checks qualify for unemployment
insurance.
“We want to make sure that
these workers have a stable in-
come,” Silverman said. “We wantents who need emergency child
care will leave their young infants
and toddlers with elderly grand-
parents, who are most at risk for
serious complications if they con-
tract the v irus.
“This whole public health
emergency is s hining a light on the
way our community and public
infrastructure are inadequate to
meet everyday n eeds — l et a lone in
crisis,” K ashen said.
The D.C. Council is expected to
introduce l egislation Tuesday thatand Gov. Andrew m. Cuomo (D)
mandated that gathering spots in
a one-mile containment zone, in-
cluding Anderson’s day care, close
for two weeks.
She immediately emailed fami-
ly members seeking help and got
lucky. Her brother and sister-in-
law are on break from school next
week and will be able to help, but
she knows others do not have that
option.
“I’m one of the lucky ones,” she
said. “We do have a lot of familyAsTrId rIecKeN for THe WAsHINgToN PosT
angelique speight-marshall puts on protective garments to protect her clients from the coronavirus inside the day care at her family home
in Northwest Washington. she is being extra vigilant to protect the seven infants and toddlers in her care as she tries to remain open.BY JOE HEIMEven as many colleges and uni-
versities closed in response to the
coronavirus threat, Liberty Uni-
versity President Jerry falwell Jr.
went on fox News o n friday morn-
ing to suggest the virus was a plot
to undermine President Trump
and to say his school would open
as usual when students return
from s pring b reak on march 23.
“It’s just strange to me how so
many are overreacting,” falwell
said, c omparing media c overage of
the novel coronavirus to coverage
of earlier epidemics. “It makes you
wonder if there’s a political reason
for that. Impeachment didn’t
work, and the mueller report
didn’t work, and Article 25 didn’t
work. And so maybe now this is
their next attempt to get Trump.”
falwell also speculated in the
“fox & friends” interview that
North Korea and China may have
cooperated on a secret plot to
spread the virus without offering
evidence to support his baseless
rumor, which he attributed to a
restaurant owner.
Liberty has taken some steps in
response to the coronavirus pan-
demic. on friday, it canceled at-
tendance at its weekly convoca-
tion of students t hat brings togeth-
er about 6,000 students to l isten t o
a speaker. T he event was s treamed
online. Earlier this week, it an-
nounced that all of its internation-
al study programs for spring and
summer were terminated and
called back Liberty students
studying in rome.
By announcing that the univer-
sity’s 16,000 students would re-
turn to class on campus, Liberty is
an outlier among Virginia’s uni-
versities. Almost all of the com-
monwealth’s prominent colleges
and universities have announced
that classes w ill m ove online o nly.
falwell’s announcement that
in-person classes would resume
following spring break did not sit
well with some students at the
Christian e vangelical university in
Lynchburg.
“I think it’s gross,” said Eliza-
beth Lake, 22, a senior math major.
“We’re supposed to be taking pre-
ventative action, and he’s not do-
ing that because of his political
views.”
Lake said she didn’t have any
issue with falwell’s support of
Trump but thought h e was making
a poor decision to keep the school
operating as n ormal.
“Students are going to be com-
ing back from spring break from
all over and who knows if they’re
going to bring this back with
them,” she said. “He’s not taking
into consideration all of the Liber-
ty students and the people who
live in Lynchburg.”
Scott Lamb, a spokesman for
falwell, declined an interview re-
quest.
Joe Keller, 18, a freshman sports
management major, said he was
“pretty upset” with the school’s
decision.
“If I get c oronavirus, I can prob-
ably beat it, but I don’t want to get
in contact with older professors
who m ight catch it from me. I don’t
want to be in crowded dorms
where it’s spreading all over,” he
said. “This decision really endan-
gers the students and staff.”
other Liberty students who
posted their unhappiness withfalwell’s decision on social media
declined to b e interviewed.
falwell’s comments on fox con-
flicted with some of the messaging
the university has been sending to
students in r ecent d ays.
In a letter signed by falwell and
appearing on the school’s website,
the university urges students, fac-
ulty and staff to reconsider travel
that might increase the risk of
exposure a nd to inform t he univer-
sity of travel to areas affected by
the c oronavirus.
“The number of national coro-
navirus (CoVID-19) cases contin-
ues to rise and the safety of the
Liberty University community is
our primary concern,” falwell
wrote Tuesday in a letter to the
campus. “Liberty University offi-
cials have been meeting regularly
and carefully monitoring the situ-
ation, maintaining contact with
state public health officials, and
following guidance from the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Pre-
vention (CDC) for college campus-
es.”
“The decisions we are making
rely heavily on the guidance we are
receiving from the CDC and the
Virginia Department of Health
and are intended to protect the
health a nd welfare o f our students,
faculty, staff, and local communi-
ty,” falwell’s letter said. “We recog-
nize the uncertainty this global
health issue is creating and are
committed to keeping you in-
fo rmed and up to date as this
situation e volves.”
Keller said he hoped Trump’s
declaration of a national emergen-
cy friday would lead falwell to
change his decision to bring stu-
dents b ack.
“Wherever Donald goes, that’s
where he goes,” Keller said.
[email protected]VIrGINIA
Liberty University will
stay open amid virus
School’s president
speculates about political
motivation in interview“We’re supposed to be
taking preventative
action.”
Elizabeth Lake, Liberty
University senior