Va. Senate removes a pandemic protocol -- plastic dividers

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The plastic dividers that have separated lawmakers in the Virginia Senate in the name of COVID-19 prevention are coming down.

Senate Clerk Susan Clarke Schaar and other members of the Senate staff were working to remove the tall, shiny barriers from the chamber after Monday’s floor session concluded.

The plastic panels that separated lawmakers’ desks were being disassembled and carried out.

The move came after GOP Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant argued that the barriers were both ineffective and inhibited communication.

Other Republicans had complained they amounted to cages.

The move also came as coronavirus pandemic case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths continue to plummet.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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