Virginia Poison Center Sees Spike in Calls

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood. We’ve got a roundup of Virginia news coming right up.

But First…

Virginia Tech is pitching in to contribute to coronavirus relief by creating and then donating thousands of face shields for the New River Valley Hospital medical professionals treating patients with coronavirus. — ABC 13

Five Things You Need to Know Today

1. Virginia’s Coronavirus Cases Total Reaches Over 15,000- With 878 new cases, there are currently 15,846 reported cases of the coronavirus in Virginia. Overall, 2,322 people have been hospitalized and 522 people have died due to the virus. In total, 90,843 people have been tested statewide, an increase of over 5,000 since yesterday. – Dogwood
   
2. Virginia Poison Center Sees Spike in Calls During Pandemic- As the pandemic persists, poison control centers nationwide are seeing a significant uptick in calls, including in central Virginia. Director of Virginia Poison Center Dr. Ruddy Rose stated that they’ve seen a 25 to 45 percent increase in calls since the pandemic struck, specifically in regards to hand sanitizers, bleach products, disinfectants and rubbing alcohol. Rose reports that they’ve had people feeling sick over the fumes, spraying their food and groceries and purposefully drinking hand sanitizer. — WRIC
   
3. Trump Tells States To Crack Down on Sanctuary Cities or He’ll Hold Back Coronavirus Aid- Federal aid for state and local governments could be tied to whether those governments’ immigration policies align with the Trump administration’s agenda, the president said this week. During an exchange with reporters on Tuesday, President Trump said he was open to providing struggling state and local governments with federal relief, but only for states who took strict measures to address immigration policies in so-called sanctuary cities—localities where law enforcement authorities have limited their cooperation with federal immigration officials seeking to locate and deport undocumented immigrants. –Dogwood
   
   
4. Virginia Didn’t Pass Paid Leave and the Pandemic Shows Why This Was a Mistake- Despite the flurry of progressive bills that were passed during Virginia’s most recent legislative session, one big progressive issue that didn’t make the cut was paid sick leave. According to the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, 1.2 million workers in the private sector have no paid time off. It’s even worse for low wage workers, who’re often forced between taking a sick day or getting a full paycheck. – Dogwood
   
   
5. Judge Denies Virginia Gym’s Injunction to Lift Shutdown- A Culpeper County circuit court judge has denied a bid by Gold’s Gym to lift Gov. Ralph Northam’s shutdown of non-essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Judge Claude Worrell ruled that the executive order was constitutional and denied a request for an injunction to lift the shutdown. Attorney General Mark Herring released a statement, stating that the rights of one small business owner does not outweigh the right of everyone else to remain free of disease. — Richmond Times-Dispatch