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Students at the University of Virginia are now under rules that are stricter than those in Albemarle County and Charlottesville. President Jim Ryan announced yesterday that gatherings are limited to five people or less and that masks are to be worn at mostly all times.
"Over the last few days we've become more concerned about the spread of COVID-19 within the UVA community,” Ryan said. “Some of this has been driven by a rise in positive cases in our community. But we've also gotten reports of a few large student gatherings, both on and off Grounds as well as reports about inconsistent adherence to masking and distancing guidelines. This has caused concern among our public health experts who worry we may be headed in the wrong direction and that if we don’t get back on track quickly, we could end up in a situation where have to severely restrict where students can go or risk running low on isolation or quarantine space.”
The UVA COVID-19 Tracker reported yesterday that 26 percent of quarantine rooms are in use and seven percent of isolation rooms. Seven new cases were reported for Monday, all students. The number of active cases is listed as 224. According to the tracker, these are “new cases with a positive test during the past ten days who require isolation or quarantine. The Cavalier Daily reported yesterday that a fifth dorm was placed under testing.
The 5-person-or-less restriction on gatherings applies to students on and off grounds.
“Students will still be able to gather outside safely including on the Lawn, but will have to do it in groups of less than five or fewer,” Ryan said. “If this limit is not respected we may have to consider additional restrictions including curfews.”
A third restriction involves who can visit the students.
“We’re going to ramp up enforcement of our travel and visitor policies for students, which should be simple to understand and easy to follow,” Ryan said. “Please do not leave Charlottesville over the next two weeks and do not invite visitors to come to town. This is to protect people outside of this community as well as to prevent more of the virus being brought back to Grounds.”
Ryan said in-person classes would continue. Watch the whole video on UVA Today.
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The Virginia Department of Health reports another 580 cases of COVID-19 today, the lowest one-day total since July 6. That brings the seven-day average for daily new cases to 890. The seven-day average for positive tests remains at 5.5 percent for the second straight day. In the Thomas Jefferson Health District there are another 16 cases reported today, with a seven-day average of daily new cases now at 53. Another death has been recorded in Nelson County for a total of 69 since the pandemic began.
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The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority’s Board of Directors met yesterday, and it was perhaps the last meeting in the area to be chaired by Dr. Tarron Richardson, whose tenure as Charlottesville City Manager is over at the end of the month. Richardson was honored with a resolution for his time serving on the RWSA, and he ended up chairing his final meeting.
“Dr. Richardson, on behalf of this board, we want to take this opportunity to give you a heartfelt thanks not only for your service not just to the city and the community, but also to this Board,” said Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson.
Richardson tendered his resignation to City Council earlier this month.
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Albemarle County has launched another initiative to help businesses cover some of their pandemic-related expenses. The Safe Spaces and Places Grant Program is intended for those companies that have spent money to expand to outdoor operations or otherwise be able to serve customers during the pandemic. This could include tents, sanitizing stations, outdoor furniture, space heating, and other items that could help slow the spread of COVID-19 while allowing business to continue. Others include extended WiFi and computer systems to allow easy payment through cards. Qualifying purchases may have occurred between March 1st and the end of this year, and payouts are up to $25,000.
“Only non-residentially zoned parcels are eligible to apply,” reads an inquiry form for the project, which will be administered by the Community Investment Collaborative on behalf of the Albemarle Economic Development Authority. “Costs will be reviewed for reasonableness and applicants must certify that expenses are in response to the COVID-19 crisis.”
Albemarle will hold a webinar on the program on September 25 at 1 p.m. The inquiry form closes on October 2. (inquire) (attend the webinar)
This morning, Albemarle County also launched another initiative for residents struggling with hardships due to the pandemic. The Board of Supervisors voted earlier this summer to allocate over $1 million in funding from the federal CARES ACT for emergency financial assistance.
“Albemarle County residents experiencing lost wages or earning ability as a result of reduced hours or loss of employment due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can apply for funds for rent/mortgage assistance, utility payments, groceries/prescriptions, or childcare,” reads a press release for the program.
“Residents are eligible for a one-time payment for rent/mortgage assistance that will be allocated based on the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Developments program guidelines determined by the household size or up to $1,000 per household for emergency funds for all other expense types,” it continues.
The funds are being disbursed in partnership with the United Way of Greater Charlottesville. To apply, call 434-326-0950, 9 am - 6 pm, Monday-Friday. Para Español - marque 434-373-0930, 9 am a 5:30 pm, de lunes a viernes. Other languages are available upon request.
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In meetings today, the Ridge Street Priority Neighborhood Task Force will meet virtually at 4 p.m. The group is made up of people appointed to review potential projects to be paid for through a federal program known as the Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG. Each year, the city selects a neighborhood to receive funding, and for this year and the next two, the Ridge Street Neighborhood has been chosen. City Council discussed whether some of the $150,000 could be used for housing issues. City Councilor Michael Payne asked this question:
“Could that pool of money should the Ridge Street Task Force receive applications and vote on it, go to things related to homelessness services or public housing or other things that may be connected to housing in some way?” Payne asked.
“The Ridge Street, or the priority neighborhood funding typically goes to funding public infrastructure improvements to better improve that community,” said Erin Atak, the city’s grants coordinator. “It really depends on the type of activity that they are looking to fund.”
Previous projects funded by CDBG funds through this process include sidewalk improvements in the 10th and Page neighborhoods, as well as intersection improvements on Monticello Avenue and a partial streetscape on Cherry Avenue.
One thing for the task force to keep in mind is that the city received $6.1 million in Smart Scale funding for a project at the four-way intersection of Ridge Street, Cherry Avenue, Elliot Avenue and Fifth Street Extended. However, that project doesn’t have an anticipated construction start time until 2028.
Speaking of Smart Scale, the area body that makes decisions about regional transportation projects meets at 4 p.m. On the agenda of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization is a new design for a reconfiguration of the intersection of U.S. 29 and Fontaine Avenue into something called a “modified continuous flow intersection.” (MPO agenda)
There will also be a discussion of the needs for electric vehicle charging stations in the community.
“MPO staff would like guidance on developing a network of key stakeholders to assess and build strategies for supporting the use of electric vehicles in the TJPDC region,” reads the Action Item section of the memo on the topic. (learn more)
September 23, 2020: UVA limits gatherings to less than five, students asked to not leave Charlottesville