December 7 — Weekly COVID-19 Update

“First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.” -Thomas a Kempis

This week, Governor Northam took several new steps to provide relief to Virginia communities, and I wanted to make sure you had the latest updates:

Health

• Currently, 258,870 cases have been reported in Virginia.
• COVIDWISE is an exposure notification app that will alert users if they have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Housing Security

• Virginia’s Rent and Mortgage Relief Program (RMRP) provides short-term financial assistance on behalf of households in the form of rent and mortgage payments. To conduct a self-assessment for eligibility, please visit dhcd.virginia.gov/eligibility or call 211 VIRGINIA by dialing 2–1–1 from your phone.
• http://StayHomeVirginia.com contains tools, information, and resources for renters, homeowners, landlords, and people experiencing homelessness.
• The Virginia Apartment Management Association released a video walkthrough to show housing providers exactly how to register their companies and their properties in the Virginia Housing application system for the RMRP, currently the only avenue for housing providers to apply. It is VAMA’s hope that this resource will encourage more housing providers to participate in the program.

Environment

• As the Commonwealth continues to experience flooding and extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change, Governor Northam announced new executive actions to improve coastal resilience and protect Virginia communities.
• The three actions include (1) elevating the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program to report to the Commonwealth’s Chief Resilience Officer, (2) issuing a statewide request for proposal for technical engineering assistance in developing the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, and (3) formally establishing the Virginia Coastal Resilience Technical Advisory Committee.

Employment & the Economy

• The Rebuild VA Grant Program received an additional 30 million dollars, recently expanded its eligibility criteria, and increased the amount of grant money businesses receive. Businesses with less than $10 million in gross revenue or fewer than 250 employees will be eligible under the new criteria, and the maximum grant award will increase from $10,000 to $100,000.
• Governor Ralph Northam today announced that International Automotive Components Group (IAC Group) will invest $4.6 million to expand its manufacturing operation in the Town of Strasburg and add new auto component lines and products to its existing capabilities at the facility. Virginia successfully competed with Ohio for the project, which will create 47 new jobs.

Transportation

• The public is invited to a joint virtual meeting on Tuesday, December 8th, 2020 with representatives from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and Virginia Railway Express (VRE), to learn more about the regional collaboration that keeps travelers in Northern Virginia moving.
• The meeting will be streamed live from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the DRPT YouTube channel, and following the presentations, public comment can be made by calling 415–655–0001, followed by PIN 126 518 6536#.

Prince William County — General Updates

• Prince William County recently announced the selection of Peter Newsham as its new Police Chief.
• The 2020 holiday season is here, and the Prince William County Police Department reminds residents of some basic safety tips to observe while shopping online and receiving package deliveries.
• December is Safe Toys & Gifts Month. Prince William County Fire and Rescue System Chief Tim Keen, in conjunction with CPSC, urges individuals to carefully select toys prior to purchase to reduce toy-related injuries and deaths.
• The Board of County Supervisors recently passed a resolution extending the payment deadline for real estate taxes for the second-half of 2020 for 60 days, changing the deadline from December 5th to February 3rd.

Prince William County — Events

• The Prevention Alliance of Greater William is bringing together local educators and experts to host a two-day, multi-lingual workshop to empower parents and provide them with information to safeguard their children during these challenging times. Visit this site to register.
• Tuesday, December 8, 2020 | Start Time 7:00 PM — “Recognizing Signs of Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use in Youth.”
• Thursday, December 10, 2020 | Start Time 7:00 PM — “How to Start the Conversation and Build Open Relationships with Our Children.”
• OmniRide is embarking on a transportation education/awareness campaign geared towards the Hispanic community within Prince William County. They are hosting a virtual Hispanic Council Meeting on Dec. 9th, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, to hear from residents about the transportation needs and challenges in the County, as well as how best to reach out and engage with the Hispanic community. To RSVP, please email nkahn@OminRide.com. This event is available to all who RSVP.

Prince William County — Health

• Currently, 19,498 cases have been reported in Prince William County.
• The Legal Services of Northern Virginia received a grant through the Potomac Health Foundation to help individuals in Prince William County (PWC) with issues surrounding Medicaid and the Marketplace, including help with application assistance, analyzing eligibility, or representing individuals in Medicaid appeals. Please contact Susan Nolan at 703–647–4748 or susan@enroll-virginia.com.

Prince William County — Education

• CTE Phase II students will return to in-person learning on Mondays beginning December 7th.
• Please join PWCS for their third installment in a virtual series on understanding Special Education; it is set to take place on December 15th from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Participants will become familiar with informal and formal special education dispute resolution options available when there is disagreement with the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of a child; and/or the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
• Staff and community members may submit questions or concerns about the implementation of the PWCS Health Plan and other health mitigation strategies in school buildings, 24 hours a day, by sending an email to healthandsafety@pwcs.edu.
• The STAR program is a free tutoring program. The tutoring and remediation sessions, delivered over Zoom with STAR Program Canvas support and by a PWCS licensed teacher, are free of charge to PWCS high school students and those middle school students enrolled in a high school English course, algebra I, or geometry.

Prince William County — Employment

• To help those who have lost their jobs in the pandemic, Prince William County has partnered with Virginia Career Works to launch ELEVATE. This program provides no-cost employment assistance to members of the community, including training programs, job placement services, and more.

Prince William County — Transportation

• This week, the Virginia Railway Express will announce a new 3-D train tour on their website that showcases the safety measures taken such as installing social-distancing decals and hand sanitizer dispensers to protect the health of riders and operators.

Prince William County — COVID-19 Testing

• Virginia has seen an increase in COVID testing for the Holidays. Tests are limited and result timelines have been extended to as far as 10 days after testing. Free COVID-19 Testing available for residents who live and work in Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and the City of Manassas Park. Participants must provide their full name, telephone number, and a home or work address in Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and the City of Manassas Park to obtain COVID testing and receive the results.

TESTING IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL TEST KITS HAVE BEEN DEPLETED. ARRIVE EARLY.

• Tuesday, December 8, 2020 | Start Time 11:00 AM — James S. Long Regional Park, 4603 James Madison Highway, Haymarket, VA 20169
• [Please be in line by 1:30pm]
• Tuesday, December 8, 2020 | Start Time 4:00 PM — Cloverdale Park, 15150 Cloverdale Road, Dale City, VA 22913
• [Please be in line by 6:00pm]
• Wednesday December 9, 2020 | Start Time 4:00 PM — Metz Middle School, 9950 Wellington Road, Manassas, VA 20110
• [Please be in line by 6:00pm]
• Thursday, December 10, 2020 | Start Time 11:00 AM — Cloverdale Park, 15150 Cloverdale Road, Dale City, VA 22913
• [Please be in line by 1:30pm]
• Thursday, December 10, 2020 | Start Time 4:00 PM — Woodbridge Senior Center, 13850 Church Hill Road Woodbridge, VA 22191
• [Please be in line by 6:00pm]
• Friday, December 11, 2020 | Start Time 11:00 AM — Splashdown Waterpark, 7500 Ben Lomond Park Road, Manassas, VA 20109
• [Please be in line by 1:30pm]
• Friday, December 11, 2020 | Start Time 4:00 PM — Woodbridge Senior Center, 13850 Church Hill Road Woodbridge, VA 22191
• [Please be in line by 6:00pm]
• Saturday, December 12, 2020 | Start Time 9:00 AM — Graham Park Middle School, 3613 Graham Park Road, Triangle, VA 22172
• [Please be in line by 12:00pm]

COVID-19 Resources:

• Virginia Department of Health website
• Virginia Department of Social Services website
• “Forward Virginia” Guidelines page
• Prince William County COVID-19 page
• Stafford County COVID-19 page

If you need constituent services, please contact our office at DelJCarrollFoy@house.virginia.gov.

Please stay safe and healthy.

Thank you,

Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy