Newsletter
march 28, 2020
Hope you and your family are staying healthy and keeping safe. It remains incredibly important for us to practice social distancing and to stay home as much as possible. There continues to be a rise in the number of Virginians affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the sacrifices we are making together will help stop this pandemic.
Please find some updates from Governor Northam and community partners below. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to be of assistance. You can reach me at 804-698-1042 or by email at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov.
Best, Kathy
https://www.kathyfordelegate.com/coronavirus-resources
Governor Northam and State Agencies
Tracking COVID-19 in Virginia
A gentle reminder that you can track the instances of COVID-19 in Virginia on the Department of Health’s website here.
Health Care Providers, Testing, and Personal Protective Equipment
Governor Northam, Governor Hogan of Maryland, and Mayor Bowser of Washington, D.C. have called on President Trump and the federal government to identify the VA-MD-DC region as a federal testing site, as it has the largest concentration of federal workers in the country. This would allow for quicker turnaround on test results.
Like other states across the country, Virginia continues to experience a shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and other frontline professionals. This is partly due to supply chain disruptions in Asia and other parts of the world dealing with COVID-19. And also by strong competition among hospitals, local governments, states, and the federal government in procuring available PPE. While Governor Northam pushes for a national solution to this urgent issue, he is continuing to implement Virginia-specific strategies to obtain PPE. The Governor and his team are working with business leaders in Virginia to see if PPE used in dentistry, mining, and other industries are appropriate for use in the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also asking Virginian manufacturers to produce PPE. Lastly, the Department of Corrections is producing masks that are being tested to see if they are of sufficient quality for use in the medical setting. The Governor’s office issued an emergency request for information regarding PPE on Friday. To offer donations of PPE or identify opportunities to purchase PPE here.
Governor Northam continues to call on eligible Virginians to volunteer with the Virginia Medical Research Corps. Information on serving is here.
Judicial System
Chief Justice Lemons of the Supreme Court of Virginia extended the Order of Judicial Emergency for all district and circuit courts in Virginia from April 6 to April 26. The emergency order was first issued on March 16 and suspends non-essential court proceedings during this period. Information is here.
Community Partners
Neighbors who need extra support, please dial Virginia’s 2-1-1 hotline to speak with a trained professional about community services that are available throughout Virginia.
Parents and family members who need to find a child care provider can call 1-866-KIDS-TLC (1-866-543-7852) to identify providers near them.
For my previous updates about how Virginia is addressing COVID-19 and related resources,