Northam Addresses Eviction Proceedings, Phase 3 Reopening

VIRGINIA — Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday was his last regular news briefing on the coronavirus situation in Virginia, but he may schedule future briefings as needed. The governor and other officials gave updates on the expiring moratorium on eviction proceedings, Virginia's readiness for phase three of reopening, testing improvements and school reopening decisions. There have been 47 briefings held during the crisis in Virginia.

Northam indicated once the statewide moratorium on eviction proceedings expires after June 28, local circuit court judges should act to extend moratoriums locally based on need. While the governor anticipates thousands could face evictions, he says "we have a plan in place that will start in time to help."

The state's plan includes a new Virginia Rent and Mortgage Relief Program. Created by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, it will help cover rent and mortgage payments for households facing financial instability due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will initially receive $40 million through federal CARES Act funds allocated to Virginia. The program will launch on June 29, and information on how to apply will be provided.

Northam recognized Virginia has communities with some of the highest eviction rates in the U.S. — Richmond, Norfolk and Hampton, to name a few. According to Northam, the program will have targeted outreach to minority individuals due to the pandemic's disproportionate effect on those communities.

"Our priority is to prevent evictions and help get Virginians back on track with their rent and mortgage payments," said Northam.

Additional assistance is available for energy bills that have accumulated during the pandemic. The commonwealth's CommonHelp program provides assistance with energy bills for individuals who meet eligibility requirements. Households must include an individual who is age 60 or older, disabled, or under age 6. Applications are open through Aug. 15.

For those who aren't normally eligible for this assistance, the commonwealth is creating a one-time COVID-19 energy assistance program through CARES Act funding. The program, planned to launch in mid-July, will help people pay off energy bill debts accumulated during the pandemic. Northam says this assistance will help individuals avoid service disconnections when the moratorium on utility disconnections for unpaid bills ends after Aug. 31.

On Phase 3 reopening and school reopening plans

Although states like North Carolina see new daily cases increase, Northam believes Virginia is prepared for phase three. At the start of July, phase three will increase the social gatherings limit from 50 to 250 and ease some business restrictions across Virginia. However, the face mask requirement at indoor public places and social distancing guidelines will continue.

"In the three and a half months since our first case, we've learned a lot about the virus: how it spreads, how contagious it is and how we can keep ourselves safe," said Northam. "Our efforts to slow the spread continue to work. Other states are seeing surges now as people move about more, but in Virginia so far we are not seeing a surge in cases. In fact, our numbers our very good."

On Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health reported a 7-day percent positive average of 6 percent, a new low for the state. At its peak in mid-April, the statewide positive rate had been above 20 percent. Northam added that hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients — and those in the intensive care units and using ventilators — are trending downward.

When asked about some residents' concerns of phase three allowing gatherings of 250 people, Northam noted social distancing and face masks are part of reopening guidelines. He reiterated that Virginia's continued progress on public health metrics is dependent on residents' actions.

"If we see the numbers trending in unfavorable directions then we're obviously going to have to make some difficult decisions," said Northam. "It's really up to all of us as Virginians to be smart, to be safe, and to take care of ourselves, our families and really to take care of others as well."

Northam's chief of staff Clark Mercer addressed ongoing questions from families about return-to-school requirements. He said the governor's guidance for reopening PreK to grade 12 schools provides recommendations for school districts based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. However, the final decisions lie with local school boards.

"It is intended to inform the discussions happening at the local level, but it does not mandate any one particular approach," said Mercer. "Guidance is not law. This is up to your local school boards to decide how they're going to open responsibility."

Mercer said local leaders can account for local health conditions, resident concerns and facility constraints in their individual decisions. In phase three of reopening, the state recommends guidelines such as physical distancing for in-person instruction. Officials are working on guidance for beyond phase three.

Contact tracing and testing

Dr. Karen Remley, who runs Virginia's testing task force, gave her last update before she takes a job with the CDC. Citing June 6 data from a University of Virginia model, she said the statewide rate of infection is 0.727. Remley said a number below one is ideal — one represents a person infecting one other person. However, there is variation in different regions of the state; the "near southwest" region has a rate of 1.033, while the northern region has a rate of 0.660.

"We continue to work very aggressively at contact tracing, identifying cases early and making sure people have accessibility to tests," she said.

On the testing front, Remley said Virginia's 7-day rolling average for testing is 10,000 per day, which the governor had identified as a goal for reopening. One new testing initiative through CARES Act funding will be a "one lab" network. This network involves expanding the capability of the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services and partnering with at least three facilities to conduct expanded testing for public health.

The testing task force's broad goals include: public health referring symptomatic individuals and close contacts to testing; testing 2 to 4 percent of the population per district each month (6,000 to 13,000 per day statewide); achieving a 10 percent positive rate in each region; over-testing high risk populations; conducting point prevalence surveys of long-term care facilities, prisons, jails, and behavioral health facilities; outbreak testing and containment; and overall containment by tracing each case.

Remley gave one last word of caution on the coronavirus response in Virginia: "It's a success story for now, but I would say as a mom, and a grandmother, and a public health physician, and a pediatrician, nobody let your guard down. Because it's going to be a long, long summer and a long fall for COVID."

SEE ALSO:

• VA Long-Term Care Facilities Account For Vast Majority Of Deaths
• Virginia's Phase 3 Reopening Scheduled To Begin July 1: Governor