The Shadow
The Alleghany Highlands COVID-19 Task Force is focusing on plans to reopen local governments and non-profit organizations.
The discussions are occurring as the state is progresses through Phase I?of Gov. Ralph Northam’s plan to reopen the economy. The plan is being called, “Forward Virginia.”
The task force also discussed filing for a share of CARES Act funding to provide emergency aid to small businesses and non-profits.
Reopening The Highlands
The task force has committed to developing a unified plan for reopening governmental offices and community-support organizations such as the Alleghany Highlands YMCA, the Department of Social Services and the Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board.
A plan for allowing visitation at the Alleghany Regional Jail in Covington is also being developed.
“This would entail working to mirror each other’s guidelines for serving the public and those in our community in safe and near unified fashion to foster a return to normalcy for the Highlands and promote ease with consistency,” said Covington City Manager Krystal Onaitis, a member of the task force.
Officials in Covington, Alleghany County and Clifton Forge have been holding discussions about reopening the Highlands.
“We have been having scheduled calls to work through the many logistics. This planning process will be done in consultation with the Virginia Department of Health’s Environmental Health Specialists in our health district, our regional Virginia Department of Emergency Management Office and by reviewing other localities plans in the Roanoke Valley to provide recommendations to the task force,” Onaitis said.
The task force plans to meet weekly until the second week of June.
Emergency Aid
Work is under way regionally with the local governments, the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corp. to apply for $1.5 million in emergency funding to assist small businesses and non-profits.
The money would be distributed by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development through a grant.
Case Count
Monday, the Virginia Department of Health was reporting 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Alleghany Highlands.
The VDH website listed 13 confirmed cases in Alleghany and three in Covington.
“The task force remains united in its efforts for those living and working in the Highlands. All here in the region are not just strong, we are #HighlandsStrong. Now more than ever we all need to help one another in whatever way we can, big and small, even just checking in on others goes a long way. Working together is how the Highlands will recover from this pandemic,” Onaitis said.
The task force discussed the need for expanded COVID-19 testing in the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts.
For more information on COVID-19, the following online resources are recommended, CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/, or the VDH website: http://www. vdh.virginia.gov/.
For persons without internet, VDH has a regional hotline 1-855-949-8378, as well as a state hotline, 1-877-ASK-VDH3.
Additional information on the Highlands COVID-19 Task Force can be found at: https://covington.va.us/highlands-covid-19-task-force/ .
