COVID-19 Update 3

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Dear Friend,

The Governor has asked us to stay home, unless we are essential personnel. If you need to go out, practice social distancing. Please remember to thank those who stock our grocery shelves. We must all try to make the work of our first responders and health care providers as safe as possible. Controlling this crisis depends on each one of us. I know many of you have questions; I will be hosting another Facebook Live Town Hall this Saturday from 10:00-11:00am. Questions may be submitted ahead of time to district31@senate.virginia.gov and also during the Town Hall in the comment section of the broadcast.

Virginia officials and the Virginia Health and Hospital Association are working diligently to supply our hospitals and health care staff with personal protective equipment (PPE). The Federal government is engaging major manufacturers across the country to speed up production of PPE. Efforts are being made to increase the production and availability of ventilators.

Public and private K-12 schools in the Commonwealth are now closed through the end of the academic year. School divisions will be in frequent contact with families of students and further information can be found here. I know this decision will be a hardship on many families. Check childcare resources identified by your local governments and remember community non-profits like the YMCA may be available to help. Area school systems are providing meals to families to help strengthen the safety-net, for details see your school division’s website. Some restaurants are providing students and seniors with free meals during the COVID-19 emergency. 

The Governor closed non-essential recreation and entertainment businesses for thirty days on Tuesday. These include theaters, performing arts centers, concert venues, museums, and other indoor entertainment centers. Fitness centers, gymnasiums, recreation centers, indoor sports facilities, and indoor exercise facilities are also closed. Beauty salons, barber shops, spas, massage parlors, tanning salons, tattoo shops, and any other location where personal care or personal grooming services are performed that would not allow compliance with social distancing guidelines to remain six feet apart are closed as well. For more information, a number of frequently asked questions are answered here.

These closures and other daily life interruptions are difficult and have also resulted in either decreased hours or layoffs for many. If you have lost your job or your weekly wages have been severely, negatively impacted by the COVID-19 emergency, please go online or call the Virginia Employment Commission at 1 (800) 897-5630. Some financial assistance will also be available to those who are considered contractor employees, commonly referred to as 1099 employees. The local Virginia Employment Commission offices have been closed, so claims must be filed online or by telephone.

Many small businesses have been negatively impacted by this emergency. In order to gauge the impact and formulate policies to effectively assist Virginia’s small businesses through this emergency, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity is collecting data by means of a brief survey. If you are a Virginia Small Business owner, please take a moment to complete this survey so the agency can share the results with State and Federal partners. Responses are needed as soon as possible but the survey will be open through 5:00pm., Friday, March 27, 2020 to capture responses. Additional resources are available now through the U.S. Small Business Association. Low interest loans are available to small businesses in Virginia, for more information, go to the website.

As this emergency continues, the Governor is giving Facebook Live press conferences every other day at 2:00pm. See his Facebook page for past updates, as well as future live-streamed events. Additionally, the state is maintaining a COVID-19 Updates page that you can check for the latest information and alerts. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns. We are all in this together. Stay safe.

Sincerely,