November 30th — Weekly COVID-19 Update

“Don’t let your yesterday take up too much of your today.” — Will Rogers

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:

On November 15th, Governor Northam announced new actions to mitigate the spread of the virus in Virginia:

• All public and private in-person gatherings must be limited to 25 individuals, including outdoor and indoor settings.
• All Virginians aged five and over are required to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces.
• All essential retail businesses, including grocery stores and pharmacies, must adhere to statewide guidelines for physical distancing, wearing face coverings, and enhanced cleaning. Violations will now be enforceable through the Virginia Department of Health as a Class One misdemeanor.
• The on-site sale, consumption, and possession of alcohol is prohibited after 10:00 p.m. in any restaurant, dining establishment, food court, brewery, microbrewery, distillery, winery, or tasting room.

Governor Northam hosted a small delegation from the Mattaponi Indian Tribe and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe at the Executive Mansion in Richmond for the 343rd annual Indian tax tribute ceremony. This follows a proclamation issued by the Governor earlier this month designating November as Native American Heritage Month in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Health

• Currently, 237,835 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.
• Health officials are stressing the importance of community health as Virginians head into the flu season. Please click here for an infographic on what to do if you have confirmed or suspected the flu or COVID-19. The Virginia Department of Health also developed guidance for college students returning home from campus and their families.
• World AIDS Day (tomorrow) provides the opportunity to bring attention to the HIV epidemic; encourage HIV testing, care, treatment and prevention; show support to those living with HIV and remember those who have died from HIV/AIDS.

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.

Environment

• Governor Northam helped celebrate the restoration of the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River and announced $10 million in new funding to support future oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. This spending commitment marks the first time that capital funds, which are typically reserved for infrastructure projects, have been explicitly used to restore Virginia’s natural resources.

Legislation

• Today, Governor Northam released the Administration’s report on the impact of legalizing adult-use marijuana in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This follows Governor Northam’s recent announcement that he intends to advance marijuana legalization in Virginia.
• The Governor has signed House Bill 5005, Virginia’s revised biennial budget. The Governor and the General Assembly worked together to create a spending plan that protects key priorities, preserves the Commonwealth’s financial options, and addresses critical challenges that Virginians are facing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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.
• The Re-Employing Virginians (REV) Initiative provides scholarships to eligible individuals to enroll in a workforce or community college program in five essential industries, including health care, information technology, skilled trades, public safety, and early childhood education.
• Shenandoah Valley Organic (SVO), a family-owned organic chicken company, will establish a second facility in Harrisonburg, Virginia, creating 110 new jobs.
• Dynamic Aviation, a leading provider of special-mission aviation solutions for government and commercial organizations worldwide, will invest $47.9 million to expand its operation in Rockingham County. Virginia successfully competed against multiple states for the project, which will create 207 new jobs.
• Klöckner Pentaplast Group (kp), a global leader in recycled content products and high-barrier protective packaging, will invest a total of $68 million to expand its facilities in Louisa County and Wythe County, creating 54 new jobs.

Public Assistance Programs

• The STOP School Violence grant will fund a 36-month Virginia C.A.R.E.S. project to build Caring, Awareness, Recognition, Engagement, and Support in schools. The initiative works to increase mental health awareness and enhance the safety and well-being of educational settings by helping to create positive school climates, awareness of resources, recognition of at-risk behaviors, and engagement with the community.

Prince William County — General Updates

• Prince William County recently announced the selection of Peter Newsham as its new Police Chief.
• Effective Nov. 1, 2020, Prince William County has outsourced the dog licensing program to PetData, Inc., a company that provides animal licensing services throughout the United States. Prince William County will no longer process dog licenses at the counter, by mail or online.

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, 18,352 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

• PWCS plans to move forward with the upcoming high school sports season as permitted by the Virginia High School League. Due to the Governor’s restriction on gathering size, PWCS will not have in-person spectators during competitions. PWCS will be offering on-demand live streaming of games via a contracted service for a small fee.
• 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.
• The service times for curbside pickup of weekly grocery kits will be Mondays and Thursdays from 11:00 am to 5:00pm. PWCS continues to prepare and serve food at these school sites. All food is free of charge to students aged 18 and younger.

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.
• The Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) unanimously approved a resolution on November 24th to change the name of Route 1 in Prince William County to Richmond Highway. The County will now move forward with the name change process.
• Prince William County, in conjunction with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, invites you to attend a virtual informational session regarding the Route 28 Bypass project on December 7th at 7:00 p.m. This approximately $300 million infrastructure project, one of the largest in the history of Prince William County, will reduce traffic congestion, improve travel reliability and address other transportation challenges in the area.

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. To ensure you receive a test please arrive at the site as close as possible to the start time and ensure you are in line by the time posted below.

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

• Tuesday, December 1, 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 1, 2020 | Start Time 4:00 PM — Cloverdale Park, 15150 Cloverdale Road, Dale City, VA 22913
• [Please be in line by 6:00pm]
• Wednesday, December 2, 2020 | Start Time 11:00 AM- Woodbridge Senior Center, 13850 Church Hill Road Woodbridge, VA 22191
• [Please be in line by 1:30pm]
• Wednesday December 2, 2020 | Start Time 4:00 PM — Metz Middle School, 9950 Wellington Road, Manassas, VA 20110
• [Please be in line by 6:00pm]
• Thursday, December 3, 2020 | Start Time 11:00 AM — Cloverdale Park, 15150 Cloverdale Road, Dale City, VA 22913
• [Please be in line by 1:30pm]
• Thursday, December 3, 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 4, 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 4, 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 5, 2020 | Start Time 9:00 AM — Development Services Building, 5 County Complex Woodbridge, VA 22192
• [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