NEWSLETTER

MAY 6, 2020

Neighbors,

Town Hall Tonight with Special Guest 

Dr. Meagan Healy, Chief Workforce Advisor!

I am excited to share that Governor Northam’s Chief Workforce Advisor, Dr. Meagan Healy, will be joining my Tele-Town Hall tonight, May 6 at 6:30pm with Delegates Mark Sickles, Paul Krizek, Vivian Watts.

Join us with the following information: Dial-in (605) 472-5239 | Access Code 811044 | Submit questions here. 

National Nurses Day

Today is National Nurses Day, and I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the nurses across our Commonwealth who are working hard to protect our public health. We can and must do more to ensure all nurses have personal protection equipment (PPE) to protect themselves during this public health pandemic. As always, one of the best ways we can all support our nurses is to continue social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve.

Updates

Below are COVID-19 updates from Governor Northam and state agencies. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. 

Best, Kathy

Updates from Governor Northam the state agencies

Re-Opening our Economy

  • Governor Northam affirmed his announcement from Monday, Virginia will begin “Phase I” of easing restrictions on certain industries next Friday, May 14, unless there are changes to COVID-19 data. Additional information will be provided on Friday regarding how businesses will be required to increase safety for workers and customers. More information on the Governor’s plans to re-open Virginia is here.

Healthcare Updates

  • Governor Northam’s Health Equity Work Group has organized a donation of over 15,000 masks and hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizer for neighborhoods with vulnerable populations. Additionally, the Work Group has provided educational material about COVID-19 in multiple languages to keep community members informed about the public health pandemic. 

Virginia National Guard

  • As I mentioned previously, under the federal Title 32 Status, Virginia is receiving financial support from the federal government to pay for costs associated with Virginia National Guard support in the pandemic. This status is set to expire on May 31, and Governor Northam is asking President Trump to extend this authorization. 

  • Virginia National Guard Major General Timothy Williams shared the Guard has supported the pandemic response in a number of ways:

    • There are currently 570 Virginia National Guard personnel who are actively working or ready to respond to the pandemic, working in coordination with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). 

    • The Guard has performed more than 22,000 hours of support and about 100 Guard members have received training from VDH to perform sample collections and perform N-95 mask fit testing. 

    • The current priority for the Guard is to increase our state’s testing capacity. The Guard has performed over 27,000 COVID-19 tests, performed 450 mask fit testing for long-term care facility staff members, and performed 730 sample kit collections. 

    • This week, the Guard will be performing tests in Northern and Central Virginia and supporting drive-through testing on the Eastern Shore.

    • Additionally, the Guard is providing logistical support with transporting test kits and handling materials. For example, the Guard has also assisted with distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) including 200,000 N95 masks, 150,000 surgical masks, 69,000 gloves, as well as hand sanitizer. 

    • Guard members have also assisted in food bank operations and have helped transport over 50,000 pounds of food. 

    • View my summary of the 2020 legislative session here.

View my e-newsletters here.

View my new COVID-19 resource page to see a summary of state actions, guidance, and resources here.