Category: COVID-19 info
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COVID-19 testing increases in Virginia, but officials still can’t provide testing rate in Harrisonburg
The ability to test for COVID-19 and the accessibility of testing are increasing in Virginia this month, health department officials said Wednesday. The Virginia Department of Health held a teleconferenced press briefing Wednesday and reported that capacity has steadily increased over the last few weeks between public health, hospital and commercial labs, said Michael Keatts, the Virginia Department of Health’s Northwest emergency health coordinator.
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As pandemic’s fiscal impact becomes painfully clear, city announces layoffs and other cost-saving measures
By March 13, when the health department announced Harrisonburg’s first positive test for COVID-19 and local schools were on a one-day closure that soon extended through the academic year, it was clear that the pandemic’s effects on public health and the economy would be dramatic. On Monday, city staff put some first numbers to that bleak picture in a late-afternoon press release: local tax revenue will fall an estimated $4 million short of projections for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
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School therapy provider accustomed to adaptation
In a public school setting where students vastly outnumber teachers, some children need more support than what the school’s personnel can provide. For more than a decade in Harrisonburg, this gap has been filled by government-supported in-school therapy, known as Therapeutic Day Treatment. Now that schools are closed for the remainder of the academic year, though, providers are scrambling to find ways to reach the students who need them.
In conference call, Sen. Warner hears about successful steps and continued anxiety over COVID-19 in Hburg
On April 29, six weeks after the passage of the federal CARES Act, Sen. Mark Warner (D) spoke by phone with several business and community leaders in Harrisonburg, including Mayor Deanna Reed and JMU President Jonathan Alger. The virtual meeting was one in a series of calls Warner has been holding with leaders across Virginia to hear how their communities have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
City’s trend of COVID cases improving, but officials remain concerned about vulnerable populations
Harrisonburg could be seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel” in the rate of COVID-19 infections, the deputy emergency coordinator reported to city council Tuesday. Meanwhile, state health officials are considering making available locality-level testing data.
Concern for poultry plant employees ratchets up after worker dies of COVID-19
The Valley’s poultry plants are under increasing pressure, including from concerned workers, to tighten safety measures in an effort to protect against the spread of COVID-19. It intensified Monday after an employee at one of the plants died from the virus and as community members led a “car rally” on the workers’ behalf.
Mayor Reed and Vice-mayor Romero answer COVID-19 questions
Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed and Vice-mayor Sal Romero responded, in English and Spanish, to questions submitted by the community about COVID-19 in the city. Some questions have been edited for space and clarity. To submit a question, email [email protected]. English Q: With Harrisonburg having the highest count of coronavirus cases, what can be done about …
All hands on deck: Inside the city’s response to COVID-19
Each Tuesday and Thursday morning, Helmuth and City Manager Eric Campbell hold a conference call with the heads of every city department to provide updates and share how the pandemic is affecting their work. It’s one of the many ways COVID-19 has affected — and changed — city government.
