Black lawmakers ask Gov. Northam to delay reopening Virginia https://www.pilotonline.com/coronavirus/vp-nw-coronavirus-black-lawmakers-oppose-reopening-20200513-tknewkoz5jdenj2hzepelg5rtm-story.html A group of African-American state lawmakers are opposing the governor’s move to reopen parts of the economy on Friday, saying entering phase 1 will disproportionately affect people of color. The 23-member Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, made up entirely of Democrats, wrote to Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, on Wednesday saying he hasn’t addressed the concerns they’ve raised over how black Virginians are unprotected and ill-supported during the coronavirus pandemic. The letter pointed out that minority communities make up “a significant percentage” of essential workers in the state. It’s an issue that the caucus raised earlier this month in a separate memo to the governor. “Under the current plan, and with the already existent racial disparities that this pandemic and economic crisis are perpetuating, we will be creating a situation where black and brown Virginians outside of Northern Virginia will become guinea pigs for our economy,” the caucus’ chair, Henrico Del. Lamont Bagby, wrote in Wednesday’s letter. At the request of local elected officials, the Northern Virginia region’s opening has been delayed by two weeks while they wait for the downward trends in cases and hospitalizations to become more favorable. Northam has said the first phase of reopening, which will allow restaurants to serve diners outside with some restrictions as well as allow nonessential retail to open at half capacity, will begin Friday and last at least two weeks. The state will enter phase 2 if cases and hospitalizations continue to trend downward. In Hampton Roads, where many of the black lawmakers of the caucus live, more than 2,000 positive coronavirus cases have been reported to the Virginia Department of Health as of Wednesday. The caucus asked Northam to delay opening and come up with an “equity-focused plan” for addressing the disparities African Americans are facing during the pandemic. “Throughout our country’s history, black and brown people have been experimented on and used as unwilling test subjects before — we cannot allow that to be repeated here,” Bagby wrote. He said the state has not provided clear answers about whether the state has met the criteria needed to enter phase 1 — that is, a 14-day downward trend in the percentage of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, an adequate supply of personal protective equipment and hospital bed capacity, and enough testing and contact tracing resources. But Northam has said the state has enough hospital beds to handle a surge in cases, and hospitals are no longer reporting shortages in personal protective equipment. The percentage of positive cases relative to the number of tests administered has been trending downward since April 22, but hospitalizations have remained relatively flat. Lawmakers also called the guidelines for phase 1 “often confusing and contradictory.” Places of worship, for example, are limited to 50% capacity, but they said some churches have large congregations where even at half capacity, it would result in a massive gathering of people. They also raised concerns about access to childcare as people return to work and about workers’ safety. Lawmakers previously asked Northam to ensure frontline workers in low-income jobs — who are often disproportionately people of color — be protected and paid fairly. They asked for layoff protections via back pay and wage replacement for essential workers. They also asked Northam to call a special session so lawmakers could vote for paid sick leave legislation and for free testing for grocery store employees and food processing workers. Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, said she’s heard from people worried about having to pay rent for the small business they own when the landlord starts demanding it again, but the owner doesn’t feel comfortable opening back up. She’s heard from people concerned about not having access to childcare as they go back to work because the centers are closed. And she’s heard from people who applied for unemployment in April and still haven’t received their benefits. All of those calls have been from African-American constituents, she said. “If we’re mandating that workers go back to work, we should also mandate that those workers can be safe,” Price said. In response to the caucus’s letter, Northam said he would continue to let data and Centers for Disease Control recommendations guide him. “Governor Northam is deeply appreciative of the Legislative Black Caucus and values their close partnership with him and his administration as we respond to this crisis,” a spokesperson for his office said. “He is absolutely committed to moving forward in a safe, gradual manner that protects all Virginians, particularly low-income individuals, essential workers, and communities of color.” The state has been slow to report ethnicity and racial coronavirus data. As of Wednesday, the state health department was missing such data for 8,022 positive cases. Of the cases that had racial data, 4,337 African Americans tested positive, and 7,711 Latino Virginians tested positive. The letter from the black caucus stands in stark contrast to the message from Republicans, who have been urging Northam to reopen for weeks, citing concerns over the economic losses businesses are facing. Lawmakers in Virginia Beach have been vocal about Northam’s refusal to open beaches to anything but exercising and fishing during phase 1. “Surging unemployment and shuttered businesses are crippling our economy and causing serious hardships to our citizens. It is our hope that our Democratic colleagues will join us in asking the Governor to reverse course and allow Virginia Beach to reopen safely before Memorial Day," the GOP beach delegation said in a statement last week. Marie Albiges, 757-247-4962, malbiges@dailypress.com