Va. COVID-19 cases top 1,000

Trump extends social distancing until April 30

Published March 30, 2020 by Richard Foster

There are now 1,020 confirmed coronavirus cases in the commonwealth and at least 25 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health. More than 12,000 Virginians have been tested for the virus and 136 are hospitalized with COVID-19.

Northern Virginia continues to have the most confirmed cases, with 224 in Fairfax County, 86 in Arlington, 79 in Prince William County and 61 in Loudoun County. In the Peninsula and Hampton Roads, James City County has 73 cases and Virginia Beach has  52. In Central Virginia, Henrico County has 44 cases.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his administration is extending federal social distancing guidelines through April 30, a reversal of his earlier position that he wanted to reopen United States businesses and trade by Easter, April 12. Public health officials have said that 200,000 Americans may likely die from COVID-19, even if the nation follows strict social distancing policies, Trump added. If the U.S. death toll reaches only 100,000, Trump said, “we all together have done a very good job.”

Globally, there were nearly 738,000 cases, more than 35,000 deaths and more than 156,500 reported recovered, as of Monday morning, March 30. The United States still has the most cumulative cases in the world, with more than 143,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 2,500 deaths. Nearly 4,900 Americans have recovered from the illness.

This is a developing story.