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Dear Jack,
I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. As of today, the schedule for the Bell Bulletin will now be shifting to every other Tuesday, with the next Bulletin coming on Tuesday, June 30th.
Juneteenth
Governor Northam has declared that this Friday, June 19th will be a paid holiday for state workers in honor of Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. I'm grateful for this opportunity for all of us to learn and reflect on the importance of this day in our history together. It will take legislative action to make Juneteenth a permanent paid state holiday in Virginia, and I look forward to working on that in the coming months.
Virginia Artist Relief Fellowship Program
Today, Governor Northam and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced the Virginia Artist Relief Fellowship Program to provide financial relief to visual artists who have been impacted by the pandemic. Forty artists will be selected to receive a grant of $5,000 each on July 24th. Applications are being accepted from now until July 10th. You can read more and apply here.
Higher Education Reopening
Last Thursday, Governor Northam put out guidance on the reopening of higher education institutions for in-person instruction. All Virginia higher education institutions will have to develop plans for the coming academic year and submit them to the State Council of Higher Education no later than July 6th, 2020. Higher education institutions will have to develop guidelines regarding health screening, testing, and contact tracing on college campuses, strategies to increase physical distancing, and plans for potential future shutdowns. You can read the guidance here.
Coronavirus Numbers (6/16):
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Confirmed Cases (US): 2,104,346 |
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COVID-19 Deaths (US): 116,140 |
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Tests performed (VA): 483,024 |
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Confirmed Cases (VA): 55,331 |
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Hospitalized (VA): 5,643 |
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COVID-19 Deaths (VA): 1,570 |
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Confirmed Cases (Loudoun): 3,439 |
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COVID-19 Deaths (Loudoun): 76 |
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Confirmed Cases (Prince William): 8,326 |
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COVID-19 Deaths (Prince William): 147 |
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,
Senator John J. Bell
Senate of Virginia, 13th District
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