Charlottesville Quarantine Report

Six months have passed since Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. This installment of the show features the highlights of the September 15, 2020 press conference, as well as another Hope and Resilience Conversation.

In the news conference, Northam talks about declining positive test rates, the upcoming election, and one final extension of the moratorium on utilities being cut off for non-payment. There's an update on antigen testing and Northam has perhaps his strongest critique to date of the current occupant of the White House.

Then Lee Catlin speaks with Ridge Schuyler, Dean of Community Self-Sufficiency Programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

On September 1, Governor Ralph Northam held his first COVID-19 press conference in three weeks and warned against being complacent. In the early days of the pandemic, Northam held a news conference every day. So many terms were new to us, from “flattening the curve” to “social distancing” to “community spread” and we didn’t quite know what we were in for. Eventually the news conferences slowed to three days a week, and then in late June, regular briefings stopped. So when they happen, I think it’s worth documenting them. What is the state of our Commonwealth's response as we approach Labor Day?

It has now been five months since Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All across our country, people's lives have changed as a result of the initial lockdown, and as we approach the fall, many are concerned a second one may need to be scheduled.

The University of Virginia continues to plan for reopening classes virtually. At least, that's what the situation was on August 10, 2020, the day a community town hall was held. On this installment of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report, we have some of the highlights from that event.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and the Charlottesville City Council have both voted to limit occupancy in indoor restaurants and to require facial coverings in indoor spaces. The two resolutions were also endorsed by University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, even though the new rules are not binding on Grounds. This podcast is an audio summary of both meetings from July 27, 2020. Check the show notes for the script and more information!

It has now been four months since the State of Emergency was declared in Virginia for the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re still waiting to see how well the Commonwealth has done to stop the spread. Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker and other city officials held a press conference on July 13 to reinforce the need for vigilance. The first part of the story features words from Eddie Harris, Stacy Washington, Dr. Jeanita Richardson, and Dr. Denise Bonds. The second part goes back to the July 1 Albemarle Board of Supervisors meeting where there was a discussion about how the county will use $9.5 million in CARES Act federal funding.

Four months ago, the very first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed and reported in Virginia, back on March 7. On March 11, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam took to a crowded stage where people were standing close to each other, no masks. The very name of the disease was not yet common.

We're now in Phase 3 of the Forward Virginia plan, and this installment of the show gets us caught up before we wait to see if surges in other states will lead to a pause or a rollback in the reopening. After a news update, we hear some information from Governor Ralph Northam from late June. We also hear an interview with Ella Jordan, the longtime clerk of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors and community leader. That's part of the Hope and Resilience Conversation series from the Center for Nonprofit Excellence.

Summer begins while Virginia is still under phase 2 of a plan to gradually reopen the economy, in part because there have been consequences in other parts of the country. Meanwhile the pandemic continues to affect Black and brown communities in higher numbers than the rest of the population. This episode features comments from Governor Ralph Northam's June 18 briefing and takes a look ahead at phase three and efforts to get the word out to Spanish-language speakers. There's an update on how COVID-19 affected traffic volumes in Virginia. And Lee Catlin of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence interviews Cynthia Hurst, the director of the Foothills Child Advocacy Center.

The COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many crises that affects the life and welfare of many Americans. Another is systemic racism. On this show, more about these efforts, Virginia’s finances, and plans to reopen public and private colleges and universities. We also hear from one of the people behind COVID-Act-Now, a national group that has been tracking metrics since the beginning.

We are now three months into the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 110,000 Americans dead from a novel coronavirus that scientists are still researching. On Tuesday, Governor Northam had news about how schools may open in the fall, provided they can demonstrate they have a plan to keep students apart. This show features some of that information, as well as news on how sports can proceed under phase 2. In the second segment, Dr. Denise Bonds of the Thomas Jefferson Health District gives an update to the Charlottesville Planning Commission.

In this installment of the show, we get back to local issues related to the pandemic. First, there's an update from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, followed by information from the June 4 meeting of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. There we learn about happenings in Fluvanna, Louisa and Greene counties, as well as the city of Charlottesville. Next, Mary Davis Hamlin of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence speaks with Marta Keene of JABA. Then I speak with Larry Scott of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville about his journey from homelessness to homeownership.