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Hampton Roads State of the Region report offers sobering look at COVID-19 impacts
Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis & Policy’s 2020 State of the Region report for Hampton Roads offers a sobering look at how the pandemic has harmed the regional economy and left tens of thousands of Hampton Roads residents jobless. Employment in Hampton Roads fell dramatically, hotel occupancy continues to be outpaced by […]
State’s COVID-19 rate stays steady at 4.8%
Virginia recorded 5,964 new COVID-19 cases and 104 virus-related deaths last week, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Oct. 5 update. The state’s positivity rate stayed steady at 4.8%, up just 0.1% from last week. The state has 152,557 total cases and 3,276 fatalities as of Oct. 5. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases […]
Va. jobless claims drop slightly last week
Virginia saw a small decrease in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, but the number of initial claims filed from mid-March through the Sept. 26 filing week totaled 1.167 million, or 28.4% of pre-pandemic payroll employment. For the week ending Sept. 26, 9,377 Virginians filed initial claims […]
Va. COVID-19 cases continue decline
Last week, the state saw 5,455 new COVID-19 cases and 151 virus-related deaths, continuing a statewide decline, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s update Monday, Sept. 28. Virginia’s positivity rate is 4.7%, a 1% decrease since Sept. 21. Virginia has 146,593 total cases and 3,172 fatalities as of Monday, as the world approaches 1 […]
Gov. Northam, first lady test positive for COVID-19
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and first lady of Virginia Pamela Northam have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement Friday from the Governor’s Office. On Wednesday evening, the Northams were notified that a member of the governor’s official residence staff, who works closely within the couple’s living quarters, had developed symptoms and tested positive [&hellip[...]
State rent, mortgage relief program expands to aid landlords
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday the expansion of the state’s Rent and Mortgage Relief Program (RMRP) to include financial assistance for landlords. The RMRP was launched in late June with $50 million in federal CARES Act funding to assist households facing eviction or foreclosure due to COVID-19. Landlords can now apply to receive financial assistance […]
Va. hotel revenues continue to slip
Virginia hotel revenues continued to worsen last week after a small improvement during the Labor Day weekend, according to data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Sept. 13 through Sept. 19, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 52% and rooms […]
Northam expands $70M Rebuild VA program
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that the $70 million economic recovery program Rebuild VA is expanding its eligibility criteria to allow more small businesses to apply for economic relief grants. Under the Rebuild VA program, which launched in August, businesses that received federal CARES Act funding are now eligible to receive up to $10,000 in […]
VHHA partners with new Va.-based company for medical-grade masks
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association and its Shared Services Corp. subsidiary have partnered with a newly founded Richmond-area business to obtain domestically produced medical-grade face masks for hospitals and other health care providers in Virginia, VHHA announced Monday. Olivian’s masks are not N95 but are considered medical-grade. The announcement comes after months of con[...]
Va. COVID-19 positivity rate falls to 5.7%
The Virginia Department of Health reported 6,567 new COVID-19 cases last week and an increase of 278 deaths from the virus — a larger number than most weeks because of a backlog of death data that was entered since last Tuesday, VDH said. The state now has 141,138 cases and 3,021 fatalities, as of Sept. […]
VDH reports first child COVID-19 death in Va.
The Virginia Department of Health on Friday announced the first COVID-19 death of a child under the age of 19 in the commonwealth. The adolescent was a resident in the Southside Health District, which covers Brunswick, Halifax and Mecklenburg counties, but VDH said it would not disclose further information about the teenager due to privacy […]
Metro considering $200M in spending cuts
The Metro Board of Directors is contemplating $200 million in spending cuts to maintain a balanced budget in the event that federal CARES Act funding runs out, which could lead to service cuts, shorter hours and layoffs. On Friday, the board for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) voted on potential service cuts, schedule […]
