n LOUDOUN
Pg. 5|
n LEESBURG
VOL. 5, NO. 26
Pg. 8|
Pg. 12|
n PUBLIC SAFETY
n OBITUARIES
Pg. 21 |
n PUBLIC NOTICES
We've got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com
Pg. 25
MAY 21, 2020
As Cases Climb, Some Supervisors Push to Reopen LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
“You’re not thinking she’s not coming back.” When Arnie Tanner left his wife Debra at the emergency room April 10, he didn’t
This week, the state announced that for the first time, testing for the virus that causes COVID-19 would be freely available, meaning people who don’t have symptoms or a doctor with access to the tests could get checked and at no cost. Plans for a state-sponsored, one-day free testing exercise at Bolen Park on Wednesday came the week after most of the state began reopening, while Northern Virginia remained closed. But there were some hopeful signs in Loudoun. Here, the number of confirmed cases continued to climb. The Virginia Department of Health reported there have been 1,527 cases in Loudoun as of Monday evening, 317 new cases over the past week. The virus has put 140 people in the hospital and killed 48. However, said Loudoun County Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend on Tuesday, there is a silver lining— as testing has increased, the percentage of tests coming back positive, while still higher than outside Northern Virginia, has declined. The number of tests conducted each day has been generally increasing since midApril, hitting a record 450 on May 15 but more often hovering around 200 a day over the past week. Meanwhile, the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus has steadily declined. The seven-day average of tests coming
END-OF-LIFE continues on page 34
COVID-19 continues on page 19
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Arnie Tanner holds a portrait of his deceased wife of 21 years, Debra Tanner, on the front porch of their Leesburg home. He dropped her off at the emergency room in late April and never saw her again because family members are not allowed into the hospital over concerns of spreading COVID-19.
Loss and Livestreams:
End-of-Life in the Age of COVID BY JAN MERCKER
jmercker@loudounnow.com
Debra Tanner and Mark Shapiro aren’t part of the daily tally of Loudoun’s COVID-19 losses. But the pandemic dramatically changed the end-of-life for these
two Loudouners and upended the way their families experienced loss. From hospice care to the way we hold memorials, the public health crisis has affected every aspect of dying—and not just for COVID patients—in painful and poignant ways.
Success shows in Mary’s stats – Staging, Marketing, Experience
Mary Dionisio Roberge Northern Virginia Magazine 2020 Best Real Estate Agents REALTOR® | Licensed in VA & MD | 540.687.5256 | MaryRoberge.com
107 N King Street Leesburg, VA 20176 Broker 703.738.8282 Equal Housing Opportunity
ECRWSS Postal Customer
Permit #1374 Merrifield VA
PAID
PRESRT STD U.S. Postage