NEWSLETTER
April 13, 2020
Neighbors in the 42nd District,
I hope you are staying safe as we enter a new week. Since last Monday, April 6, Virginia has had an increase of nearly 2,400 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Thank you for doing your part to protect our public health by practicing social distancing. Together, we can limit the spread of this disease.
On April 23, I will host a Tele-Town Hall with Senators George Barker and Dave Marsden. We will provide legislative updates on the actions the General Assembly takes during the Reconvene Session where we will vote on Governor Northman’s amendments and vetoes to legislation passed during the regular legislative session. We will also answer questions regarding our state’s response to COVID-19. You can join the conversation with the following information: Dial-in (605) 472-5239 | Access Code 811044 | Submit questions here.
Below are updates from Governor Northam, state agencies, Fairfax County, and Fairfax County Public Schools regarding our response to COVID-19.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Best, Kathy
https://www.kathyfordelegate.com/coronavirus-resources
Governor Northam and State Agency Updates
Health Care Updates
Nursing Homes and Long Term Care Facilities
Governor Northam has formed a task force to address the public health of residents and staff at nursing homes and long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force is led by Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Deputy Commissioner Dr. Laurie Forlano. The task force is working to ensure these facilities have testing resources, personal protection equipment (PPE), and adequate staffing levels.
Virginia Medical Reserve Corps
The Governor announced a statewide effort to recruit 30,000 more volunteers for the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps, which is made up of teams of health professionals and community members. The MRC is a vital partner in assisting our healthcare workers fight against COVID-19. Please consider joining - you can submit your application here.
Personal Protection Equipment
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System has established a pilot program to safely decontaminate N95 masks using high-intensity ultraviolet light. They plan on sharing this method with health facilities across Virginia and the country to help meet our PPE needs. You can find the announcement here.
Support for Workers
As I have previously shared, the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) is increasing its staffing and online capacity to meet the historic increase in unemployment claims as a result of COVID-19. This week, VEC will launch the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. The PUA program will boost weekly unemployment insurance (UI) payments by $600 and expand benefits to workers who are not eligible for regular UI. The VEC will be reaching out to newly eligible workers who were previously denied for regular UI and will update its application to process these claims.
Virginia Department of Education
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is expanding Virtual Virginia, the state’s existing online education platform, to allow all teachers in Virginia host virtual classes. For students without internet access, Virtual Virginia content can be downloaded and accessed online. Please follow guidance from Fairfax County School District and your child(ren)’s teachers about the specific online learning platform used by your school.
Additionally, four Virginia public media stations have launched VA TV Classroom. These broadcasts will feature teacher-led classroom instruction that aligns with Virginia’s academic standards and create opportunities for Virginia students to continue learning.
Lastly, VDOE has released new guidance for teachers and schools regarding providing educational opportunities during distance learning and supporting the social and emotional needs of students during this pandemic. You can learn more here.
Virginia Department of Corrections
Governor Northam is proposing to give the Virginia Department of Corrections authority to release inmates who meet certain criteria in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our state correctional facilities. This proposal will be voted on when the General Assembly reconvenes on April 22nd.
Utilities
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has extended its ruling to suspend service disconnections for customers of SCC regulated utilities until June 14. This includes Dominion Energy and Washington Gas, and the announcement is here. Note, this does not apply to Fairfax Water, and if you need assistance with paying those bills, please contact Fairfax Water at (703) 698-5800.
Fairfax County
Translating COVID-19 Materials
Fairfax County has launched a COVID-19 language portal with translated information in Fairfax County’s top seven non-English languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, and Farsi. The portal is here.
County Data
Fairfax County has a new geospatial resource platform that has maps, interactive applications, and data about instances of COVID-19 in the County. The platform is here.
Twitter Town Hall with Chair McKay
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay will be answering questions from Fairfax County residents on Twitter tomorrow, April 14 from 10am-11am. You can tweet your questions with the hashtag #askChairMcKay.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
Tomorrow, April 14 is the first day of online learning for Fairfax County Public School students. You can find FCPS information and resources for online learning here.
For my previous updates about how Virginia is addressing COVID-19 and related resources, see https://www.kathyfordelegate.com/coronavirus-resources.