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By GARY A. HARKI AND PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Scientific models of how the coronavirus pandemic will unfold in Virginia vary wildly, but there is one thing they all agree on: The more people take social distancing seriously, the smaller the number of those who will get sick and die. A small percentage of the people who get the virus need hospital care, but under many model projections, the state’s healthcare system will be pushed to the brink.
By STAFF REPORT, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Starting this week, Ballad Health will be among the first health care systems in the nation to deploy rapid testing for COVID-19. The regional health system announced Wednesday it has acquired the technology to get test results within hours instead of days, according to a written statement. The test technology was developed by the diagnostics company Cepheid.
By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Sterling E. Matthews and his wife were already busy raising their young son when they decided to take in a baby niece whose own parents weren't able to care for her. “He just brought her on in, no fuss,” Alice Matthews recalled Wednesday, a day after her husband died of covid-19 at a suburban Richmond hospital. “He just was that kind of a man. He saw a need.” Sterling Matthews, 60, who lived south of Richmond in Chester, Va., died Tuesday
By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Just a month ago, the Richmond-based startup company Naborforce was seeing its business grow at a substantial pace. Then came the coronavirus outbreak, forcing the company to drastically scale back its business,...
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
A consortium of 27 industry groups, the Coalition for a Strong Virginia Economy, want Gov. Ralph Northam to delay enacting several bills passed in the last legislative session that it believes will further harm businesses already crippled by actions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Chesterfield County expects to save about $2.5 million from furloughing 500 workers. Officials project the COVID-19 pandemic will rip a $53 million hole in the next fiscal year’s spending plan.
By HENRI GENDREAU AND SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
The kids are all right. That’s the message university and police officials gave Wednesday after Blacksburg and Radford residents raised concerns about college students gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Because of the nature of how things can be perceived, people look very differently at four or five college students standing in the yard than a mom, dad and two kids standing in the yard,” said Frank Shushok, Virginia Tech’s vice president for student affairs.
The Full Report
52 articles, 24 publications
Read Online10 Most Clicked
The Virginia Public Access Project
Data from the Virginia Department of Health shows a timeline of the number of confirmed COVID-19 and a statewide map showing the number of cases by locality. Updated each morning shortly after 9:00 a.m.
By SARAH RANKIN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press
Projection models suggest Virginia could see a surge in coronavirus cases between late April and late May, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday. “You need to know the truth. No sugarcoating,” Northam said as he delivered yet another sobering message about the pandemic, saying Virginians needed to be realistic in their expectations and prepare “for the long haul.”
By SEAN GORMAN AND MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Projection models show COVID-19 cases in Virginia could surge between late April and late May, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday, reiterating his stay-at-home order, which extends until June 10. “I want Virginians to prepare themselves for the long haul,” he said.
By BROCK VERGAKIS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The peak of coronavirus cases in Virginia may not come until late April to late May, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday. To prepare for the worst, the state is working with the Army Corps of Engineers on surge sites around the state where patients can be treated if hospitals run out of beds. One will be the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, and two others will be in Northern Virginia and the Richmond area.
By ANTONIO OLIVO, FENIT NIRAPPIL AND GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The number of novel coronavirus cases in the Washington region climbed past 4,000 Wednesday, as officials in Virginia projected that the peak of the covid-19 crisis is still at least several weeks away. “I want Virginians to prepare themselves for the long haul,” said Gov. Ralph Northam (D), adding that the state has been reviewing computer models to determine when the outbreak might reach its most severe stage, before leveling off. “We currently expect that will be sometime between late April and late May.”
By BRIDGET BALCH AND MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
As the state has begun narrowing sites for building additional hospital capacity in anticipation of an expected surge in COVID-19 patients within the next two months, Virginia’s hospitals have asked the federal government to look to military medical facilities to expand capacity. Gov. Ralph Northam said at a briefing Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers had evaluated 41 sites for building out bed capacity and the state had narrowed it down to three locations: ...
By STAFF REPORT, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)
The former Exxon/Mobil campus in Fairfax is one of three sites the state has identified for alternative care facilities if hospitals become overcrowded due to the coronavirus pandemic, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday.
By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
With coronavirus cases expected to peak over the next few weeks, some patients could find themselves being cared for at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that the Hampton facility is a potential surge site when hospitals reach capacity and run out of beds.
By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Scammers are trying to make quick cash off the country’s panic over the coronavirus by calling people about fake cures and home test kits and soliciting people for donations to sham charities. Attorney General Mark Herring and consumer protection groups are warning people to exercise caution when they receive unusual phone calls, emails and visits to their homes about anything related to the coronavirus.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Three Republicans have qualified for the June primary seeking the GOP nomination to run against Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. Nottoway County civics teacher Alissa Baldwin, American University professor Daniel Gade and Army reservist Thomas Speciale filed enough petition signatures to get on the ballot, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
As three prisoners at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women tested positive for COVID-19, advocates fear the state’s largest prison for women, the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, is a tinderbox. The Virginia Department of Corrections said late Tuesday that in addition to the three inmates, three department employees and one contractor also have tested positive
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Virginia environmental officials said they will continue to enforce the state’s environmental protection rules, though they might provide some leeway for noncompliance that is directly caused by COVID-19. The announcement comes days after the federal Environmental Protection Agency said it “does not expect to seek penalties” for violations for routine monitoring
By LEIF GREISS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
U.S. Reps. Morgan Griffith and Phil Roe practiced social distancing by remotely attending a meeting Wednesday about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the $2 trillion stimulus bill meant to help deal with the havoc created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was set up by the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and also attended by local business and nonprofit leaders through the chat app, Zoom.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen announced a $5 million legal settlement of allegations that nearly two dozen coal companies owned by or affiliated with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice — including Roanoke-based Southern Coal Corp. — did not pay fines for miner-safety violations.
By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, Associated Press
Billionaire West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies have agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia last year on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and Health Administration sought to claim payments on nearly 2,300 violations committed since 2014.
By RICHARD FOSTER, Va Business Magazine
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, is negotiating with its vendors, creditors and pension regulators in order to preserve the company’s liquidity, according to a statement from the company released Wednesday. Gannett, which owns USA Today, has seen swift drops in advertising due to the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. It announced mass layoffs, furlough and pay cuts earlier this week.
By BILL LOHMANN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
In the right hands, a few common items can make all the difference: some plastic film of the sort your milk jug is made of, a bit of insulation foam and a short length of bungee cord. Assemble them with precision and – voila!-- you’ve created a little magic for our times.
By ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION, Culpeper Star Exponent (Metered Paywall - 20 articles a month)
Vice President Mike Pence thanked local workers contributing to the national food supply chain amid the pandemic emergency on Wednesday during an in-person a visit to Walmart Distribution Center #7016 in the Zion Crossroads area of Gordonsville. “On behalf of the President, I am here today as your Vice President to say from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for doing a great job for keeping food on the tables of American families. We are grateful to farmers and companies like Walmart keeping stores open …
By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now
Revenues from decreased ridership are taking a hit on the Fairfax Connector as the fallout of COVID-19 outbreak continues to unfold. The bus service is set to receive $1.85 million in funds from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which oversees statewide transportation and transit projects, to help address the impact of the novel coronavirus, including a dip in revenue from fares.
By ROBBIE HARRIS, WVTF
In the new world of COVID—19, social life is dramatically changed. For universities, where some students who live on campus and off, have chosen to remain in town, there’s tension around physical distancing.
By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Governing board members at the University of Virginia chose to go into closed session this week to discuss the university’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Monday meeting was done by telephone because Virginia is under a state of emergency. But almost the entirety of the meeting was done in closed session.
By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Open Doors, James Madison University and the city of Harrisonburg have found a solution to the increasingly pressing homelessness issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. Godwin Hall’s gymnasium began housing the homeless overnight on Monday, said Graham Witt, the president of the board for Open Doors. He said many churches that hosted the rotating shelter backed out since Gov. Ralph Northam’s restrictions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now
Three more people in the Fairfax Health District have died due to the novel coronavirus, the Fairfax County Health Department reported today (Wednesday). All three men were hospitalized as a result of the illness, bringing the total number of deaths in the district, which covers the county and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, to five.
By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Maria Linda Villanueva Sun was, at various times in her life, a restaurateur, interior designer, accountant, stay-at-home mom and Army wife. It was the last of these roles that brought the longtime San Francisco Bay-area resident to Newport News, Va., where her husband had recently been transferred to Fort Eustis.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
A Richmond woman has died from COVID-19 — the third death confirmed in the city — as the coronavirus begins to spread outside of long-term care facilities that have suffered most. The hardest hit is still Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing center in western Henrico County that confirmed two additional deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 11.
By CATHERINE KOMP, WCVE
After nine deaths and nearly 60 confirmed COVID-19 cases at Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, the Henrico-based facility has stepped up safety procedures. But some families say they’re not getting enough information about their loved ones. Meg Medina’s aunt moved to Canterbury Rehab and Health about two years ago. She’s a 87-year-old stroke survivor with respiratory and other health issues.
By REED WILLIAMS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Whenever Paul Wright’s wife asked him when he was going to retire, the 78-year-old veteran Greyhound employee would tell her he planned to work for just a few more years. Each of his six younger siblings already had retired, but Wright wanted to wait until he was 80 and had logged 50 years with Greyhound. He took great pride in his job as a manager of driver development. His colleagues looked up to him.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
The Spotsylvania County man who this week became the first person in the Fredericksburg area who is known to have died from COVID-19 tried repeatedly to get tested for the virus, according to his daughters. “My father did everything he was supposed to do,” Kermora Russell said Wednesday. “What irritates me the most is he didn’t qualify for this test until he died, and at that point it was too late. It’s like no one listened to us.”
New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)
The first coronavirus case in Virginia was reported on March 7. There have been a total of 1,511 cases reported and 34 deaths, according to a New York Times database.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
All health care workers with the area’s two hospital systems will wear masks while on duty, whether or not they’re dealing with patients suspected of having COVID-19. Spotsylvania Regional announced “universal masking” Tuesday night for all employees except those who don’t deal with patients and can observe the recommended 6-foot distance from others.
By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A Chester-based cat rescue shelter operator says people afraid that their pets might transmit the coronavirus abandoned four cats on her doorstep last weekend. She worries that trend will persist. “We’re getting 50 to 100 calls every day,” said Lynne Layton, of Smitty’s Cat Rescue. “People are afraid right now. They’re going to extreme measures — like with all the toilet paper that’s being bought.”
By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
Ten days after his parents returned from a cruise to Mexico, an administrative employee at Hampton University — who agreed to speak to the Mercury on the condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions from his supervisors — got a message from them. The cruise line had emailed them, warning that other tourists on the ship had tested positive for COVID-19. They were recommended to self-quarantine until March 29, 14 days after they first disembarked.
WRIC
Rosie’s Gaming Emporium locations are coming together to support the community during the coronavirus outbreak. Beginning April 1, the casino will be giving away 20,000 free meals to ‘Virginia heroes’ that must work on the front lines of the outbreak.
By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
Even though the coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing the way people function daily, there are still emergencies that need first responders. But some emergency departments are having to do with a shortened amount of help as volunteer firefighters and first responders take a step back.
By KYLE KIRBY, Harrisonburg Citizen
Seniors at Bridgewater Retirement Community (BRC) haven’t let social distancing make them sluggish, thanks to a batch of iPads purchased by BRC about a year and a half ago. Through Wellzesta, a senior living engagement software, residents are able to interact with their fitness instructors from the comfort and safety of their own rooms. . . . Of course, the iPads also allow residents to use FaceTime and other means of communication to contact their loved ones.
By CAT MODLIN-JACKSON, WVTF
Hundreds of museums across Virginia have closed, just as droves of field trippers and after-hours crowds were set to gather for spring events. So what happens now that the lights are out and would-be visitors are stuck at home?
By STEVE ROBERTS JR, Virginia Gazette (Metered Paywall - 4 Articles per Month)
An 8.6 mile stretch of the Colonial Parkway has been closed to cars between Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Island and some parking lots will also close near historical sites, according to a National Park Service news release Tuesday morning.
By LISA PROVENCE, Cville Weekly
Entrepreneur and inventor Oliver Kuttner has been known to step up in a crisis. In 2005, he loaded the Starlight Express, a Charlottesville-New York luxury bus service he co-founded, and headed south with supplies to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. Now Kuttner has a plan to house those who are infected with COVID-19 and need a place to quarantine: a 157-acre industrial site he owns near Lynchburg and the James River. Initially he wanted to build small bungalows, but then he decided RVs with their own ventilation systems could house 7,000 people more safely than hotels or dormitories.
By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Catholic hospital system Bon Secours Mercy Health said it will be furloughing some health care workers because of indirect impacts from the coronavirus. What may seem counter-intuitive in the midst of a public health crisis is happening at many hospitals in the region: An unprecedented shift away from non-urgent procedures has caused dramatic changes in staffing. In some cases, certain kinds of medical professionals have faced reduced hours.
By DAVID A. FAHRENTHOLD AND JONATHAN O'CONNELL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The Secret Service this week signed a $45,000 contract to rent a fleet of golf carts in Northern Virginia, saying it needed them quickly to protect a “dignitary” in the town of Sterling, home to one of President Trump’s golf clubs, according to federal contracting data. The contract was signed Monday and took effect Wednesday, records show. The Secret Service paid a West Virginia-registered company, Capitol Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles, to rent 30 carts until the end of September.
By STACY SHAW, Bristow Beat
At the Prince William County Emergency School Board meeting, Wednesday, Superintendent Steven Walts announced PWCS has purchased laptops for its high school students to use during the COVID-19 school closings. Prince William County Schools aims to invest $11 million plus in laptop computers for at home use. They will facilitate distance learning for all students during school closures and into the regular school year since so much of education now relies upon online access.
By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now
In an effort to protects its workforce during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Town of Herndon is suspending curbside pick-up of yard waste. Residents can also expect delays in normal collection times because crews are working on rotational schedules in order to maintain social distancing requirements.
By ALEXA DOIRON AND JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
As a result of the coronavirus closures, James City County has made the decision to furlough a number of workers. Patrick Teague, the county’s director of Human Resources, said 78 part-time regular employees in the Parks and Recreation Department had been furloughed.
By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Aside from staff and the Board of Supervisors, no one showed for the Spotsylvania County fiscal year 2021 budget public hearing Tuesday evening. But the meeting still went on as scheduled as county officials and residents adjust to life during the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
Word that the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank would have a drive-up pantry at Todd Stadium and worries about some of her friends at a Main Street seniors apartment building brought Gwen Hobson out by 5:30 a.m. -- four hours early.
By MATT CHITTUM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Roanoke officials are closing all of the city’s major greenway trails effective 8 a.m. Friday because so many people have used them in recent days in violation of social distancing admonitions, and in light of the new statewide stay-at-home order.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, plans to announce her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor this spring. She will enter a field crowded with better-known candidates: Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring and, potentially, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. All those men — emphasis on the word men —have run and won statewide.
Daily Press Editorial (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
Begin with the fact that there haven’t been enough tests for the coronavirus — not nearly enough tests — and follow that through to the catastrophic situation in which this country finds itself. We know there is a deadly infectious disease sickening and killing people across the commonwealth, but we don’t know where it is. Not really.
Daily Press Editorial (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
The range and variety of reassessments obliged by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic rival anything in memory. This is no passing storm; it’s the storm that lingers, its consequences long remaining. So, how well we think about what confronts us — the mental processes we put in play — is vitally important. The same old answers, the same old divisions, the same old hackneyed, ideological, partisan positions, will hardly cut it.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
For prospective college students, April is normally a make-or-break month. Over the past few weeks, academic institutions across the commonwealth sent out admission decision letters for the fall. After months of writing essays, procuring recommendation letters, scheduling campus visits and other preparations, high school seniors’ normal stress of waiting for a “yes” or “no” has been compounded by COVID-19.
By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
For a glimpse of how COVID-19 could alter policy and politics in Virginia, cast your gaze about 375 miles north to the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is a red outpost in a blue metropolis, much as Hanover County is to the Richmond region. Amazon — for which Virginia, at a cost of more than $1 billion, won a bidding war among the states for 25,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in tax revenue — fired an employee at its Staten Island warehouse who led a walkout to protest supposedly unsanitary conditions during the continuing pandemic.
By VIRGINIA PANNABECKER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — key legislation that made a start in addressing healthcare needs across the United States, including in Virginia. The current Coronavirus pandemic is making more visible what many of us know already: that affordable, accessible healthcare, where you don’t have to spend hours trying to figure out what tests or procedures are covered by your insurance (if you have insurance), ...
Virginia Pannabecker Pannabecker is a Virginia Tech professor and Associate Director, Research Collaboration and Engagement at Virginia Tech, University Libraries.
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