Dear Jack,

I'm wishing the best for you and your family during this difficult time. Every Monday, I'll be sending you updates on what the COVID-19 situation looks like in Virginia, and the latest news on what we're doing to stop the spread and help those who are impacted by the virus.

CDC: New Symptoms

Today, the CDC added six new symptoms to their list of official COVID-19 symptoms. The new additions are bolded below.

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

These symptoms can appear between 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Adding these new symptoms to the official list will help with diagnostic testing, so that people with more varied symptoms will be able to qualify for a test.

May Elections

The municipal elections that were slated for May 5th in the Commonwealth have been delayed by two weeks until May 19th, as per the Governor's Executive Order 59. While the House of Delegates approved Governor Northam's recommendation to delay the May municipal elections to November, the Senate was unable to come to an agreement. We will continue doing everything in power to increase vote by mail opportunities and safeguard our future elections.

Reconvene Session

On Wednesday, April 22nd, the Senate and House of Delegates reconvened in Richmond to approve or reject the Governor's amendments to various pieces of legislation the General Assembly passed this year. I'm happy to say we were able to take some actions to help with Virginia's COVID-19 response, including:

• Establishing a COVID-19 Relief Fund for the Commonwealth, which will be funded by allowing games of skill to operate with a 35% tax on revenues.
• Prevent eviction lawsuits for two months after courts reopen
• Capping interest rates for late rent payments at 10%
• Moving up the effective date of a bill placing stricter restrictions on payday lenders up six months, from July 2021 to January 2021

COVID-19 Testing

Before we can start to reopen businesses and schools in Virginia, we need to increase our ability to test for COVID-19. Fortunately, the Governor is taking steps to address this need, and we are rapidly increasing our testing capacity. Last week, Governor Northam created a COVID-19 testing work group, chaired by former Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Remley and State Epidemiologist Dr. Lilian Peake, with the goal of processing 10,000 tests per day. At the beginning of last week, Virginia was only processing 2,000 tests per day, and we are now up to 4,000 per day. We still have a way to go before we meet our goal but I am confident that we will get there soon.

Coronavirus Numbers (4/27):

SD13/Virginia Coronavirus Updates

We have launched a new page on my website, senatorbell.com, for COVID-19 information: https://www.senatorbell.com/covid-19 

Here, you can find important health and safety updates, as well as resources for workers and employers impacted by COVID-19.

The Commonwealth of Virginia also has its own website for COVID-19 information and updates: 

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/

Here, you can follow the latest updates on what Virginia is doing to combat the spread of COVID-19 and help those affected by the crisis.

As always, please reach out to my office if you need any assistance. My Senate email address is [email protected] and my in-district phone number is (571) 367-9080. I hope you and your family are able to stay safe and healthy during these challenging times.

Sincerely,