June 19th — Weekly COVID-19 Update

Juneteenth is the day we celebrate the end of slavery in the United States — because it wasn’t until the last enslaved people were finally freed that we could truly celebrate our freedom. One hundred and fifty five years later, the same logic applies. We cannot truly celebrate equality and justice until they apply to everyone.

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:

• Governor Ralph Northam announced that he intends to mark Juneteenth as a permanent paid state holiday, starting by giving state employees a day off this Friday, June 19th.

Phrase Three of the “Forward Virginia” plan

• In Phase Three, the Commonwealth will maintain a Safer at Home strategy with continued recommendations for social distancing and teleworking, and the requirement that individuals wear face coverings in indoor public settings.
• The maximum number of individuals allowed in social gatherings will increase from 50 to 250 people. All businesses should continue to follow physical distancing guidelines, frequently clean and sanitize high contact surfaces, and keep enhanced workplace safety measures in place.
• Phase Three guidelines for specific sectors can be found here.

Health

• Earlier this week, the Governor met with local Latino leaders and community activists in Northern Virginia to discuss the issues they are facing in fighting this virus. Latino Virginians make up 45.3 percent of the cases for which Virginia has demographic data, and 35 percent of hospitalizations — even though Hispanic and Latino people make up about 10 percent of the Commonwealth’s population.
• Virginia’s case counts continue to trend downward. Virginia’s hospital bed capacity remains stable, the percentage of individuals hospitalized with a positive or pending COVID-19 test is trending downward, no hospitals are reporting PPE shortages, and the percent of positive tests continues to decline as testing increases.

Employment & the Economy

• The Governor announced two new affordable housing programs to build upon efforts to provide safe and secure housing for all Virginians. The $3 million in Vibrant Community Initiative (VCI) funding will support affordable housing and community development in the cities of Charlottesville and Newport News.
• ASGN Incorporated (NYSE:ASGN) will invest a total of $12.4 million to move its corporate headquarters from Calabasas, California to Henrico County and grow operations across the Commonwealth, creating a total of 700 new jobs and advancing Virginia’s economic recovery strategy.
• Governor Northam announced more than $14.66 million for a new Economic Resilience and Recovery Program to respond to the unprecedented economic conditions facing Virginia and address the near and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virginia Visual Artist Relief Program

• Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, First Lady Pamela Northam, and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Director and CEO Alex Nyerges today announced a special program to assist visual artists impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: the Virginia Artist Relief Fellowship Program.
• Forty (40) visual artists from the Commonwealth will be selected to each receive a $5,000 grant. To be eligible, applicants must live and work in Virginia, be 21 years of age or older, and derive a significant part of their income from their artwork including sales and lectures. Applications must be received online between June 16th and July 10th. Recipients will be notified of grant awards on July 24th. Complete eligibility requirements and the application can be found on the museum’s website at www.VMFA.museum.

Prince William County will now offer services both in person and online. Libraries will open for curbside service starting June 15th. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has opened trails, walking paths, picnic shelters, golf courses, skate parks and parking lots at outdoor parks. Please click here for the fill listing of services that are available on person, on location.

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