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Governor orders nightly curfew to start Monday
Amid rising COVID-19 rates in the state, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday he is ordering a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew, as well as limiting gatherings to 10 people, starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday. The governor ordered that masks be worn at all times indoors around other people and at workplaces, as well as outdoors […]
Va. initial jobless claims nearly doubled last week
The number of initial jobless claims filed last week jumped 93.5% — its highest level since the Aug. 8 filing week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the week ending Dec. 5, 16,654 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, nearly a two-fold increase of 8,048 from the previous week. “While one week doesn’t constitute […]
State’s Rebuild VA program allocated $100M to Va. small businesses
The state has awarded $100 million in grants to 2,500 Virginia businesses and nonprofits through its Rebuild VA economic recovery fund, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. All available funds have now been fully committed, the governor said in a news release. Approximately $50 million went to women, minority and veteran-owned businesses, and 997 small businesses […]
Va. hotel revenue is still down by more than 50% from 2019
Despite the fast-approaching holiday season, Virginia hotel revenues continue to decline when compared with last year, according to data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. While COVID-19 cases spiked during the week of Nov. 29 through Dec. 5, hotel revenues in Virginia dropped by […]
Amherst County disburses $450K to 48 local small businesses
Amherst County announced Tuesday it has disbursed $450,000 in CARES Act funding to 48 area businesses that were affected by the pandemic. The local Economic Development Authority and the Amherst County Finance Department partnered to manage the grant program. “As a small business trying to navigate through the ups and downs of this pandemic, we […]
Va. COVID-19 rate now exceeds 10%
Virginia’s coronavirus rates continue to rise, with 21,035 new cases and 146 deaths in the past week, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Dec. 7 update. As of Dec. 3, the state’s seven-day positivity rate was at 10.8%, a jump of more than 3% over the previous week. In parts of Southwest Virginia, p[...]
Va. expects 480,000 COVID vaccine doses by end of December
Virginia expects to receive 480,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna by the end of December through the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed program, the Virginia Department of Health announced Friday, based on new information available. Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that the state expected only 70,0[...]
Richmond launches 2nd grant program for small businesses
The city of Richmond announced a second small business grant program Friday that will provide applicants with grants of $15,000 for COVID-19 pandemic relief. Richmond Recovers II will be funded with $2 million from the city’s CARES Act appropriation. Applications can be submitted online starting Monday, Dec. 7 and continuing through Dec. 16, according to […]
Va. employment may not fully recover until 2023 to 2025
Virginia may not get back to full, pre-pandemic employment until 2023 to 2025, according to Moody’s Analytics employment forecasting, but Stephen Moret, president and CEO of Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) thinks that the commonwealth can recover sooner. “We not only want to accelerate the path back to full,[...]
Va. jobless claims fall to lowest level since March
The number of initial jobless claims filed last week fell to its lowest level since the pandemic’s employment effects began to be felt in mid-March, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Initial jobless claims in Virginia dropped by 29.7% last week compared with the previous filing week, according to the VEC, while continued claims fell […]
These 16 Va. companies received $10M PPP loans
The U.S. Small Business Administration on Tuesday released additional information about all approved borrowers from its $659 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) small business relief program, this time including exact company names, loan amounts, addresses and other information. Previously, the government in early July had released an incomplete list of recipients, including only ranges of […][...]
Va. hotel revenues remain low during increased COVID-19 restrictions
With COVID-19 cases mounting, Virginia hotel revenues continue to decline when compared with last year, 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 Nov. 22 through Nov. 28, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 34% and rooms sold declined […]
