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Va. jobless claims during pandemic exceed Great Recession
While Virginia saw a slight decrease in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday that the total number of initial claims filed since the beginning of the pandemic is greater than the combined totals filed during the 2007-09 Great Recession and the economic recession in 2001. For the […]
Va. hotel revenues continued to improve last week
Virginia hotel revenues continued to improve last week, according to data released Wednesday by STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Aug. 23 through Aug. 29, hotel revenues decreased by 38% and rooms sold declined by 27% compared to the same week […]
Fed says Fifth District economy continues to improve, but activity remains low
The economy of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve (which includes Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) has continued to improve in recent weeks, but activity has remained below pre-pandemic levels in most industries, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. The Beige Book is published […]
Eastern Va. restrictions to remain through Labor Day weekend
Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday during a news conference that he would not roll back COVID-19-related restrictions in Eastern Virginia prior to Labor Day. On Friday, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer sent a letter to Northam asking the governor to allow alcohol sales until 11 p.m. and requesting that the state eliminate the 50% occupancy […]
Augusta County expands business relief fund
The Augusta County Economic Development Authority (EDA) announced Tuesday it has expanded its Disaster Recovery Grant Fund to allow businesses that have previously received Paycheck Protection Program loans (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to apply for grants of up to $15,000. “The expansion of our grant fund will allow additional Augusta County businesses […]
COVID-19 cluster spurs quick conversion of VCU Honors College into isolation unit
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Commonwealth University will convert three floors of a building that houses classrooms and workspaces into an isolation space for students who test positive for COVID-19, according to a university spokesperson. The number of positive cases on campus has more than tripled since the university began reporting its cases online Aug. 20. […]
More college students head into quarantine as COVID-19 cases rise
RICHMOND — As more universities open, they’re collecting and releasing COVID-19 data and grappling with contingency plans for those who contract the disease. As of Thursday evening, universities across Virginia were reporting that more than 550 students, staff and faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19 since schools reopened two weeks ago, according to the […]
Va. saw slight decrease in initial jobless claims last week
More than 11,000 Virginians filed initial jobless claims last week — a decrease of nearly 4,000 claims from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. The number of initial claims filed during the Aug. 22 filing week fell to near the average weekly volume in 2009, according to the VEC. However, 249,745 people […]
Virginia colleges reopen with COVID-19 data available
RICHMOND — Virginia college students returning to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been equipped with masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Now, many also have coronavirus testing data available at their fingertips. Some Virginia universities have unveiled COVID-19 dashboards to track infections as students return to campus. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond released[...]
New COVID-19 cases continue to decline statewide; deaths are up
The Virginia Department of Health has reported 113,630 COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 24, an increase of 6,209 cases in the past week. The state also saw 86 more deaths from the coronavirus last week, bringing the total to 2,471. The number of new deaths is up from the previous week’s total of 58, but […]
Va. saw slight uptick in initial jobless claims last week
More than 15,000 Virginians filed initial jobless claims last week — an increase of more than 1,800 claims from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. “The increase in initial claims for unemployment benefits in Virginia reverses the trend of declining claims over the last two weeks,” Dominique Johnson, research associate with Old […]
Virginia Tech launches COVID-19 dashboard
Virginia Tech on Wednesday launched an online dashboard that the university will use to keep track of COVID-19 test results and the number of students in on-campus isolation spaces. “Our comprehensive plan to manage the additional cases expected as the Blacksburg campus is repopulated includes close collaboration with our campus experts and community partners,” Virginia […]
