top of page
    • Aug 9, 2021
    • 3 min read

Virginia Updates for August 9

It's Monday, Virginia! Here are your Virginia Updates for August 9 📬


Check out your weekly updates and follow us @we_vote_va to stay up to date on your State!


We have news on;

- State Employee Vaccinations

- Eviction Protections

- General Assembly Updates

- Register to VOTE!

- Vaccine Update

- COVID-19

🔶Learn more about the COVID-19 and the vaccine @ www.vaccinate.virginia.gov


⚠️FREE COVID-19 TESTING & VACCINES: Counties across Virginia continue to offer free COVID-19 testing and vaccines. As COVID starts to rise again, we will repost all free testing sites and vaccination clinics when they become available on our Instagram and Facebook.


✅Follow us to stay best up to date on all that’s going on in Virginia and find your Virginia Updates every Monday at 5pm!



State Employee Vaccinations


Starting Sept. 1, Virginia will require most state employees to show proof of vaccination or subscribe to weekly COVID-19 testing if they refuse.


The new policy applies to all at-will, classified, waged and other salaried workers in the executive branch, which is estimated to be roughly 122,000 people.


This includes: Virginia State Police; the departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Motor Vehicles, Health and Transportation; and faculty at state colleges and universities not funded by federal grants.


COVID-19 cases in Virginia have been steadily increasing since mid-June but are still below what they were during the winter surge. According to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University, the average of daily new cases have gone up by 812, an increase of 173.8%, over the past 2 weeks.




Eviction Protections


The Virginia General Assembly is planning to extend recently expired protections in Virginia.


On Wednesday, the House of Delegates passed a multi-billion dollar COVID-19 relief package created by Democrats, which includes a measure to extend a key eviction prevention tool in Virginia through June 30, 2022.


If approved by the Senate and signed by Governor Northam, landlords will once again be required to notify tenants about the availability of rent relief and apply on their behalf before proceeding with a removal.


If reauthorized, those requirements will apply to all property owners. Even then, if a tenant refuses to cooperate with the process, is denied funding or the program runs out of money, it would still be possible for an eviction to move forward in areas not covered by the CDC moratorium.




General Assembly Updates


The General Assembly has agreed to a deal on how to spend the $4.3 billion in federal relief funding allocated to Virginia through the American Rescue Plan Act.


The House of Delegates approved the report on a vote of 78-20. The Senate voted 23-16 to send the budget bill to Governor Northam’s desk. Northam is expected to sign off on the deal.


The agreement includes several amendments initiated by the state Senate. Some of those including

  • Larger hazard pay bonuses for certain sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers

  • Roadmap for restarting same-day service at the DMV

  • Language regulating how college athletes can profit off of their name, image and likeness


The spending package also includes investments to expand broadband, replenish the unemployment trust fund, provide additional grants for small businesses and improve VA schools.




Register to VOTE!


Believe it or not, the November General Election is only

84 days away!


Here's what you need to know about the upcoming election:

  • What offices are holding an election? Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, House of Delegates, some local offices (varies by locality).

  • When is the first day of in-person early voting? Friday, September 17, 2021.

  • Where can I register to vote? Visit the link in our bio or visit vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

  • What is the deadline to register to vote, or update my existing registration? Tuesday, October 12, 2021.

  • Can I register to vote if i'm 17 and will be 18 by the Election Day? YES! You can register to vote.




Vaccine Updates


The more contagious delta variant has caused rising infections, with pandemic data scientists now projecting cases could top January’s peak by mid-September.


Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Health is shifting its mask guidance for PreK-12 schools to align with a recent reversal by the CDC. Now, all students and staff are being asked to mask up, regardless of vaccination status.


Vaccine Summary: As of Monday, August 9

  • Total Doses Administered: 9,568,286

  • People Fully Vaccinated: 4,660,161 or 54.6%

  • % of Adults (18+) Fully Vaccinated: 65.7%

  • People Vaccinated with at least 1 dose: 5,239,079 or 61.4%

  • % of Adults (18+) Vaccinated with at least 1 dose: 73.3%


For more information on Virginia's vaccination efforts, please visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA



...


Thanks for visiting our website and we'll see you back here next week!




bottom of page