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9:30 p.m. The spouse of an employee of Edenton-Chowan Schools in North Carolina has tested positive for the coronavirus. All school campuses will be closed Friday and Monday out of “an abundance of caution.” Meal service will be suspended until March 24.
7 p.m. Albemarle Regional Health Services confirmed Thursday they have their first confirmed positive case of COVID-19 — a resident of Pasquotank County.
6:30 p.m. The Western Tidewater Health District says a Suffolk man in his 50s has tested positive for the coronavirus — the first case in that district.
6:15 p.m. The Western Tidewater Health District says a man in his 50s has tested positive for the coronavirus — the first case in that district.
4 p.m. Two people — a Joint Base Langley-Eustis medical provider and Portsmouth man — have tested positive for COVID-19, officials announced Thursday afternoon.
3 p.m. (WAVY/WRIC/WFXR) During a briefing Thursday afternoon, Gov. Ralph Northam and Virginia Department of Health officials announced that 94 cases have been confirmed, an increase from Wednesday when there were 77 coronavirus cases.
During Thursday’s press conference, Northam addressed the economic impact during the pandemic.
“As of yesterday, we have received 10,000 unemployment claims from Virginians,” Northam said.
Northam said that there are no plans to alter the 10-patron rule for restaurants and bars. Brian Moran, public safety and homeland security secretary, asks law enforcement to use summons, as an alternative to an arrest.
Northam also told reporters that Virginia State Police has been directed to not enforce vehicle inspection laws for 60 days.
Any Medicaid member who is sick can seek medical attention without worrying about how they are going to pay for it, officials said. They added that Medicaid covers testing and treatment For COVID-19.
For people without health insurance, health officials say they should apply since there is no application deadline.
The governor said 10,000 unemployment claims have been filed since the coronavirus epidemic. Northam said the usual one week waiting period in the claim process has been suspended.
The deadline to file tax sales return for February 2020 is extended until April 24, said Aubrey Lane, the Secretary of Transporation.
The extension will cost the state about 140 million dollars, including 30 million at the local level, Lane said.
The due date for the corporate income level tax has not changed. That deadline is May 1. The payment has been moved up to June 1, but interest will still accrue, he added.
In addition to being in communication with the commonwealth’s congressional delegation, the governor has been in communication with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
The Virginia Dept. of Social Services issued guidelines for childcare providers. Also, through an executive order the department waived the time period for determining eligibility for its subsidy program. For more information about the state’s response and resources for childcare providers, click here. https://www.dss.virginia.gov/cc/index.html
2:20 p.m. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is holding a coronavirus press conference at 3 p.m.
12:56 p.m. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is expected to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. after North Carolina health officials reported Thursday morning there are now 97 cases of coronavirus across the state.
12 p.m. The Virginia Department of Health is now reporting 94 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the commonwealth, up from 77 official cases on Wednesday. 19 people have been hospitalized due to the respiratory illness and 2 people, men in their 70s from James City County, have died.
However the new figure does not include positive test results confirmed in Norfolk, Gloucester, and the Eastern Shore. It’s unclear why.
1,923 people have been tested, VDH says.
11:35 a.m. — An Eastern Shore community member has tested positive for coronavirus, health officials say. It’s the first confirmed case on the Shore.
11 a.m. A Gloucester County child under the age of 10 has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Virginia Department of Health says.
Virginia Department of Health officials with the Three Rivers District say the child was seen at a pediatric medical practice in Gloucester and the child is now at home recovering.
The district says it’s investigating who may have been exposed to the child. This case was not included in the statewide count of confirmed cases announced Wednesday afternoon.
It’s the first case in the Three Rivers Health District, which includes 10 counties stretching from Gloucester northwest to Westmoreland County.
Gloucester County sits right across the York River from the Peninsula Health District, which has the highest number of cases in Virginia (13 in James City County, 1 in Williamsburg City and 1 in York County.
World Health Organization officials say that while children appear to have less severe cases of the disease compared to adults, they’ve seen [at least one] child from coronavirus.
9:50 a.m. Sentara Healthcare is reopening coronavirus testing sites on Thursday after closing them Wednesday due to a shortage of tests. Sentara says it’s received more kits and is reopening testing at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical.
They say the two drive-thru locations will continue to stay open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily as supplies allow. Their Sentara Edinburgh drive-thru testing site in Chesapeake will remain closed in the meantime.
The hospital group began drive-thru screening and testing Monday. Since then, Sentara tells WAVY News 10 that 1,700 people were screened and 786 qualified for a coronavirus test. Tests are taking between two to five days to get results.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, contact your physician or the Sentara COVID-19 Call Center (1-833-945-2395) first.
Before you leave your home, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you have 2 of these 3 symptoms: Fever (100.4 degrees or higher), cough, shortness of breath
- In the last month, have you been in contact with someone who was confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 OR have you traveled internationally or to an area with a known COVID-19 outbreak? (Check the latest high-risk travel areas here)
IF NO: Please stay home. Continue to follow the CDC recommended prevention methods and monitor for a change in symptoms.
IF YES: If you are BELOW age 60 and have no other health issues, you should stay home and self-quarantine for 14 days.
9:40 a.m. — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s coronavirus press conference for Thursday has been moved to 3 p.m. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is also expected to hold a press conference Thursday at 1 p.m.
9:12 a.m. — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is expected to hold a press conference on the commonwealth’s coronavirus at 11 a.m., at the same time as the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s meeting. WAVY will have coverage of both.
As of Thursday morning, there are 77 positive coronavirus cases in Virginia and 63 in North Carolina.