Category: COVID-19 info
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The petit goatee, and other peculiarities of local governance during a 21st-century pandemic
It was the kind of content made for a city spokesman’s Twitter account. Early in the city council’s pandemic-induced exile to virtual meetings, Councilman George Hirschmann’s cat jumped up onto his lap and, for all we know, into local history as the first cat to participate in Harrisonburg public policy-making.
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Four organizations teamed up and ‘probably saved some lives’
Alena Pardi and her husband, Tim, thought they had found a house in Virginia and could move from Tennessee. But when they arrived in the Valley, they found they had been scammed, and the “seller” had run off with their first rent payment — which amounted to much of the money they had. Stranded, they slept in their car in Walmart’s parking lot. Then the coronavirus hit.
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Hburg businesses roll out a range of strategies to connect with customers and gradually reopen
Since mid-March, many local businesses closed their doors, but with Virginia’s Friday launch of Phase 1 reopening, many owners are unlatching their doors or have developed alternative ways to serve customers. The Citizen contacted more than a dozen businesses to find out how they’ve approached the challenges of the stay-at-home order and are adjusting to Phase 1 reopening. And there’s a range of ways local businesses are adjusting to survive.
Gemeinschaft Home emerges from quarantine following two positive COVID-19 tests
Josh Williams said the uneasiness set in with all the news coverage at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It really hit home when a fellow resident was diagnosed with the disease and Gemeinschaft Home went into quarantine.
Residents find outdoor refuge in city parks, but Westover pool and other rec facilities’ reopening remain uncertain
While the Parks and Recreation Department has kept open access to trails and fields on its properties, its programming has shifted online and other oft-used facilities, such as the Westover skatepark and all the parks’ playground equipment, remained locked or roped off. The Parks and Recreation department is also unsure as to how and when certain facilities will open up, including the Westover Pool. Parks and Rec employees plan on discussing that in meetings this week.
Volunteers harness ingenuity and 3-D printers to make 2,800 face shields for health workers and first responders
Donating 1,200 clear plastic face shields to Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital was already a big undertaking, but a local group of volunteers with access to 3-D printers has kept going — producing protective equipment to donate to organizations and first responders, including more than 250 face shields to the Harrisonburg Fire Department.
As federal funds arrive, some Harrisonburg residents, businesses and agencies are getting a little relief
Millions of dollars from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, will trickle into Harrisonburg over the coming months in various forms — through money to the city government, as stimulus checks and unemployment payments to residents and as loans and grants to businesses and organizations.
