Coronavirus: Fredericksburg News And Updates In Time Of Crisis

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The coronavirus outbreak in Virginia is having vast impacts in Fredericksburg, including the closure of schools and many businesses.

The number of cases of the illness caused by the virus, known as COVID-19, continues to rise and reported deaths across Virginia are starting to surge. The number of deaths resulting from the coronavirus in Virginia rose to 109 Thursday, up from 75 on Wednesday.

Cases of the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 illness, increased from 3,645 to 4,042 on Thursday. The Fredericksburg area reported 117 positive cases of the coronavirus. As of Thursday, Stafford County had reported 54 cases, Spotsylvania County 36 cases, King George County 13 cases, Fredericksburg 10 cases and Caroline County four cases.

Here are the latest updates from Fredericksburg:

SCHOOLS
All schools in Virginia are closed through the rest of the academic year for in-person teaching in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Fredericksburg City Public Schools mailed refunds for band, orchestra and chorus field trips on Wednesday. The city schools' Grab and Go meal distribution program will not take place Friday through Monday due to the Easter holiday weekend.

In preparation for online learning, Fredericksburg and Stafford Counties are beginning to lend out Chromebook laptops to students that don’t own a laptop or tablet that would need to be returned either in the summer or the following school year.

Fredericksburg City Schools would like to know if students have a computer, iPad, or tablet for student use. The city is asking families to complete a brief survey.

GOVERNMENT
Fredericksburg has signed a mutual aid agreement with Stafford, King George and Caroline counties that allows the four jurisdictions to share or combine equipment and personnel in an expedited manner during the coronavirus crisis. The mutual aid agreement will broaden Fredericksburg's ability to use local government resources across jurisdictional boundaries. MORE

BUSINESSES
Many essential businesses in Fredericksburg remain open to provide necessary services like food, repairs, health care and more. To help local residents navigate what is open and closed in the city during the coronavirus crisis, Fredericksburg Patch has introduced a simple a small business guide. MORE

The Fredericksburg City Council has approved several measures to support city businesses during the coronavirus crisis. Many businesses have been required to shut down in response to the governor's order. Others are struggling to bring in business when officials want people to stay home unless they need to go out on essential business.

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This week, the city council appropriated $54,000 from the Economic Development Opportunity Fund to the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority for a business relief grant program. The names of the small businesses that were chosen to receive financial relief from the city will be released next week.

Fredericksburg extended the due dates for payment of admissions, lodging, meals and personal property taxes. The personal property tax deadline in Fredericksburg will be extended by 60 days to July 15. The city also extended the deadline for payment of the other taxes by 60 days.

The city also voted to give businesses more leniency to erect temporary signs during the coronavirus crisis. Through June 19, certain types of commercial signs that would normally require a special permit can be erected without applying for the permit. MORE

HOSPITALS

Mary Washington Healthcare's Health Link nurse triage team is available daily from 6 a.m. to midnight to assist people with determining the best level of care for their symptoms. The nurses can be reached at 540-741-1000.

Mary Washington Healthcare is not allowing visitors inside its hospitals, with the exception of laboring mothers and minors.

Mary Washington Healthcare received two pallets of personal protective equipment from Harbor Freight Tools in Fredericksburg, including 82,480 gloves, 60 face shields, and 96 N95 masks. Harbor Freight announced it would be donating its entire supply of nitrile gloves, N95 masks and faceshields, and were accepting donation requests nationwide from hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms.

Mary Washington Healthcare was chosen as a recipient. Overall, Harbor Freight gave away 44 million pairs of nitrile gloves and hundreds of thousands of masks and face shields to hospitals in more than 1,000 communities.

Mary Washington Hospital has set up a field hospital in a parking garage next to the hospital's emergency department in anticipation of a surge in patients with the coronavirus. Although hospital officials hope the extra space won't be needed, they wanted to create the additional emergency room capacity in case the number of coronavirus patients reaches levels beyond its current capacity in the next couple months. MORE

LIBRARIES

Residents can still get a library card from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library system even while its branches are closed. Staff are available to help 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Residents should complete this form, and the CRRL will send a new barcode number via email. IMPORTANT: Each library card can check out up to 10 eBooks and eAudio and put up to 15 titles on hold.

All CRRL branches are closed until further notice. Late fees will not accrue, and book holds will not expire. Book drops are closed. Patrons should keep all materials until libraries re-open. The CRRL system is accepting research questions through this link. Research staff are available to answer questions submitted using the online form Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

HIKING AND WALKING

The city of Fredericksburg has a new interactive map to help residents find nearby hiking and walking trails located across the city. Residents are asked to keep stay a safe distance from each other when hiking and walking. See map HERE

MENTAL HEALTH

As the coronavirus crisis increases concerns and anxiety among residents in the community, residents are encouraged to contact the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board if they need assistance. The organization has an emergency therapist available 24 hours a day. Residents should call the organization's emergency line at 540-373-6876 if they need help.

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