Governor Ralph Northam issued a statewide Stay at Home order on March 30 to protect the health and safety of Virginians and mitigate the spread of the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19. The executive order takes effect immediately and will remain in place until June 10, 2020, unless amended or rescinded by a further executive order.
Link to full release: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2020/march/headline-855702-en.html
Link to Executive Order Fifty-Five: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/executive-actions/EO-55-Temporary-Stay-at-Home-Order-Due-to-Novel-Coronavirus-(COVID-19).pdf
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: To slow the spread of COVID-19, stay at home except to get groceries, medications or other essentials. Avoid outings you don’t have to take. Visit the FAQ for more tips: https://bit.ly/2UbVHEZ
Remember, you don’t have to deal with emotional distress on your own. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ’1-800-273-TALK (8255)’ is available for everyone, no matter what problems or type of stress you’re dealing with.️ Call 1-800-273-TALK (8225) and speak with someone confidentially today.
Updates
There was a typo in this morning’s The Virginia Gazette regarding the Peninsula Health District Call Center hours. The number for James City County is 757-272-3337.
County Parks
Visit https://jamescitycountyva.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=3804 for the complete rundown on what’s open and what’s closed.
Fortnite Tournament
Calling all Fortnite gamers--want to play in a league while you’re stuck at home? Parks & Recreation’s FREE 8-week program follows Fortnite Friday rules, with players teaming up as duos against other two-person teams for six weeks of regular-season play. Weeks 7 & 8 feature semi-finals and championship night for the top four duos. Games begin April 10; teams will have six days to play their matchup for the week and report scores to the league coordinator. Each player must register individually, but please include your partner’s name when prompted. Create an account and register for the league by Wed., April 8 at https://www.toornament.com/…/3446161527949426688/information. Gameplay is available across the following platforms: Xbox, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC. For more information, email Sarah at sarah.oreilly@jamescitycountyva.gov.
From the Williamsburg Regional Libarary
Looking to do some traveling...virtually? There are several Virginia landmarks offering virtual tours and educational resources, including Mount Vernon and our very own Colonial Williamsburg! Check out the link below for more information on what is being offered and how to access these tours. http://ow.ly/qNF750yZHrH
From WATA
WATA is closed Sunday to clean and sanitize our dispatch center, offices, buses and other vehicles. No service is running. Service will resume 6 a.m. Monday.
Have questions for the Virginia Department of Health?
Keep sending in your questions for us to ask in our COVID-19 conversation with Dr. Julian. You can post your questions on our social media accounts, send an email (renee.dallman@jamescitycountyva.gov or call 757-272-3337. The deadline for questions is Monday, April 6 at 10 a.m.
Previously Released Information
Child Care for Essential Personnel
With the recent long-term closures of the public schools, many families who work in the medical field and other essential jobs in the community must find child care for their children. There are a large number of child care centers currently open and ready to enroll children of these essential personnel. Child Care Aware of Virginia has the most up-to-date information about the child care options in the region. Essential employees in need of child care can call 1-866-KIDS TLC (1-866-543-7852) for assistance. Full news release: https://jamescitycountyva.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=3786
Questions About Medicaid?
Virginia Medicaid is taking steps to improve access to care for Medicaid and FAMIS members. https://coverva.org/covid19/
Library Mobile Hotspots
Williamsburg Regional Library has purchased additional WiFi hotspots, each of which allows for 15 simultaneous connections and will be deployed to various locations around the Williamsburg area for set time periods beginning this week. Library staff will use the Mobile Library Services vehicles to take the hotspots to parking lots and neighborhoods where users can drive up, park, and take advantage of free internet access from the comfort and safety of their own cars.
The library has also set up several long-term WiFi hotspot locations where users can park and access WiFi from their cars 24/7. In the case of both the long-term and rotating WiFi access points, the internet signal put out by the hotspots will be sufficiently strong to be projected 30-foot distance around the MLS vehicle and to be used by up to 15 devices simultaneously. It is not necessary to have a library card to access any of the hotspots. www.wrl.org/hotspots
Please Don’t Litter
Just a friendly reminder to properly dispose of masks and gloves you may be wearing in public. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use-faq.html
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
While social distancing for COVID-19, take the time to check in on friends and family to see how they are doing. Set up a daily phone or video call to touch base and share the best and most challenging parts of the day.
Need help or know someone who does?
Contact the Disaster Distress Helpline or call 1-800-985-5990
Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224
County Offices and Services
As announced on March 23, all James City County offices, facilities, public basketball courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts, volleyball courts, sports courts, athletic fields, playgrounds, skate park and recreation centers and libraries are closed to the public until further notice. This includes any courts at local schools. The County continues to provide most services and staff are available for assistance by phone or email. Visit https://jamescitycountyva.gov for more information on individual departments and services.
All County parks continue to be open; however, all restrooms in County Parks are closed. The Chickahominy Riverfront Park Campground and restrooms will close on Friday, March 27 and will remain closed until further notice. In accordance with federal guidelines to curb and mitigate the spread of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, gatherings of 10 or more people in any park area will be asked to separate or leave the facilities.
For more information
- Hotline: 757-564-2140
- https://jamescitycountyva.gov/covid
- www.facebook.com/jamescitycounty
- www.twitter.com/jamescitycounty
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information:
- Virginia Department of Health (VDH): www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus, Phone: 1-877-ASK-VDH3 or Peninsula Health District Call Center: 757-564-7069, Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV, https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020.asp
- World Health Organization (WHO): www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus2019
- FEMA Rumor Control: https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus-rumor-control
Media Contact:
Renee Dallman, Public Information Officer
757-272-3337; renee.dallman@jamescitycountyva.gov