Category: Coronavirus

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Coronavirus News

In brief: Stay home

Governor Northam's stay-home order will be active until June 10.

Settle in

“Our message today is very clear: That is to stay home,” said Governor Ralph Northam at the beginning of a March 30 press conference.

On March 27, the governor issued Executive Order 53, which shut down schools for the rest of the year, closed all “non-essential” businesses, and asked everyone to social distance, in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. But over the weekend, photos of crowded beaches in places like Norfolk showed that many Virginians weren’t taking Northam’s suggestions seriously. Late last week, Charlottesville’s City Council wrote an open letter to the governor, urging him to “implement stricter measures.”

Monday’s Executive Order 55 is more direct, and requires everyone to stay home unless they are seeking medical attention, buying food or other essential supplies, caring for a family member, or “engaging in outdoor activity, including exercise.” Public beaches and campgrounds are closed.

In-person gatherings of 10 or more people are now punishable by a Class 1 misdemeanor. Northam said last week that the state is “certainly not looking to put people in jails,” but that law enforcement will be taking steps when necessary to break up groups.

Not much should change here in Charlottesville, where the city had already shut down most public spaces. Essential businesses like grocery stores will stay open, and restaurants and retail stores will still be allowed to offer online ordering (or in-person shopping with no more than 10 customers at a time) and curbside pickup or delivery.

The executive order will be in effect until at least June 10. “To date, this has been a suggestion,” Northam said on Monday. “Today, it’s an order.”

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Quote of the Week

“This is a little bit of medical trivia for you. Certainly nothing against our retail stores that sell clothing, and especially neckties, but neckties actually harbor contagious pathogens.”

­—Governor Ralph Northam, on his new look. He hasn’t worn a tie in two weeks, reports the Virginian-Pilot.

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In Brief

Senior scare

Despite limiting visitors and other safety measures, The Colonnades, a nursing home in Albemarle County, confirmed March 27 that there is a case of COVID-19 within its community. The facility has since ramped up its prevention efforts, including ending communal dining and screening all residents and staff for symptoms daily. A resident at The Lodge at Old Trail in Crozet also tested positive for the virus last week.

Farm fresh

As restaurants close or pivot to take-out, some have dropped their weekly orders from local farms. But Brian Helleberg, owner of downtown French spots Fleurie and Petit Pois, has taken a more creative tack. After donating food to his staff, he’s now repurposing his deliveries into a CSA. For $109, customers can purchase a weekly basket of kitchen staples, from veggies to meats, and can add other foods, including ready-to-go meals. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the restaurants’ longtime partner, City Schoolyard Garden.

A hoopless backboard at Washington Park. Staff photo

Hoop dreams

Neighborhood Development Services closed all of the city’s basketball courts last week due to the coronavirus, but that order was seemingly not enough to keep locals from shooting hoops. So NDS removed the rims from the backboards at multiple courts, including Washington Park. Die-hard ballers will have to get creative.

Keep up the pace

Those who signed up for the Charlottesville Ten Miler don’t have to let months of training go down the drain. From now until April 4, all are welcome to participate in a virtual race by running 10 miles by themselves on the official course, or a different route, and recording their times on the Ten Miler website. Don’t want to leave the house? No worries—you can run it out on the treadmill.

 

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Coronavirus News

‘It could suck so much more’: A fourth-year’s attempt at positivity

PC: Dan Addison/UVA Communications

By Dan Goff

“Remember when I said I doubted the university would move classes online because it would be a logistical nightmare? Well, I was only half right. UVA will and has moved classes online. And it’s a logistical nightmare.”

This quote, from an email sent by one of my professors, nicely sums up the sentiment of UVA faculty and students. I’ve heard and read a lot of grumbling about the university-mandated switch to Zoom, and I’ve done a fair bit of it myself. We fourth-years are especially bummed, since it’s more than just a “logistical nightmare” for us. It looks like the rest of our time at UVA isn’t going to be at UVA at all.

The latest update from President Jim Ryan, letting us know that final exercises as we know them are officially canceled, was a particularly upsetting blow. Graduation ceremonies were the one school-related part of being a fourth-year I really didn’t want to miss. We’ve been told that UVA is “developing creative alternatives,” but I’m skeptical. I shudder to think of the Zoom call that would accommodate a crowd of 4,000.

Charlottesville is not unique here, of course. This is a trend happening at universities across the country and the world, and it’s a necessary one. We can whine all we want about how much the rest of this semester is going to suck (and admittedly, it’ll probably suck), but these are prudent precautions. 

What I’ve been trying to do these past few days is keep in mind how relatively fortunate I am. I’m still in Charlottesville (sorry, President Ryan) because of my job as delivery boy at New Dominion Bookshop. My parents live outside Richmond, an easy drive in case I need to return home. I’m an English major in the creative writing program whose thesis is being written in isolation anyways—my degree doesn’t depend on student teaching or hands-on lab work.

I’ve heard stories of other students faring worse—like my friend Aline Dolinh, a fellow fourth-year who recently returned from Germany. Her trip should’ve ended days earlier, but thanks to what she calls a “comedy of errors,” involving a stolen backpack that contained her laptop and passport, she was stranded. Things were looking grim as Germany continued to close its borders and restrict travel, but she (incredibly) got at least her passport returned to her and made it back to the States earlier this week, where she’s now hanging out in her parents’ basement “like a medieval plague victim.”

Aside from such ill-fated trips abroad, what about the students whose actual homes are overseas? According to recent data, UVA has nearly 2,500 nonresident alien students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. What percentage of these students is trying but unable to return home? How long might they be stuck here? Questions like these make me remember how lucky I am to be an in-state student with a car, and my right to complain shrinks that much more. 

Of course, there’s the social side of this to consider too. We’ll find creative ways to graduate, but what about creative ways to remain in touch? When I chatted with Aline the other day, she agreed that “it’s the small things that are hitting the most. I won’t be able to do x or y with my friends, and I don’t know the next time I’ll get to see some of these people.”

Charlottesville—particularly the university side of Charlottesville—is starting to feel like a ghost town. Two of my three roommates are still here, but from what I’ve seen, this is pretty unusual. My Instagram and Facebook feeds are stuffed with fourth-years posting bittersweet photos of the Lawn with captions commemorating their “3.75 years” and giving an emotional goodbye to Charlottesville.  

As far as I know, the majority of my fourth- year friends have already packed up and headed back to their family homes. This includes Veronica Sirotic, who was the first friend I made at UVA—though I’m sure I wasn’t hers. Veronica is one of the most social people I’ve ever met. It seems like she can make friends with someone as effortlessly as shaking their hand—two activities which I guess are prohibited for the time being. 

When I FaceTimed Veronica to check in, she answered the call wearing her cap and gown—graduation photos, she explained. She had a mini ceremony with her roommates (from a socially safe distance, of course), after which she drove to her parents’ place in Arlington. 

She was understandably upset about the situation, but was also trying to keep a fair perspective. “I’m not dead, and my family is safe,” she said. “I have a lot to be grateful for.” 

We both acknowledged that while being a fourth-year sucked right now, “it could suck so much more.” I referenced a post I had seen her share on Facebook from Take Back the Night, UVA’s sexual assault prevention group that she co-chairs. The post said that “people currently experiencing sexual harm or survivors of that harm may be particularly affected” by the pandemic—for a variety of reasons, including lack of access to in-person counseling and an exacerbated sense of isolation. The post was a wake-up call, another reality of this that I hadn’t even considered. 

Talking with Veronica was a bit of a wake-up call, too, and it helped put things further into perspective. Sure, what’s ahead is concerning, and not just in the context of public health. This is a less-than-ideal time to be entering the job market—I have no idea what the economy will look like when I graduate in two months. 

I’ve been trying not to worry about hypotheticals like that, though, and take things day-by-day. It’s easy to feel helpless in a situation like this, but we still have some agency. Veronica’s photo shoot inspired me—come May 16, if President Ryan’s “creative alternatives” don’t pan out, I might have a personal graduation ceremony in the safety of my apartment. I can wear the honors of Honors in my bedroom and hand off a diploma to myself. I won’t have a Lawn to march across and my ceilings are a little low for cap-throwing, but it’s better than nothing.

Categories
Coronavirus News

How to track a virus

The Thomas Jefferson Health Department conducts investigations of each local case of the coronavirus. PC: CDC

You can’t stop coughing and are running a fever. It’s becoming harder for you to breathe, and you can barely muster the energy to get out of bed. A glance at the CDC’s website confirms your greatest fear: You may have the coronavirus.

What happens from there? We spoke with Ta’Kindra Westbrook, a disease intervention specialist at the Thomas Jefferson Health Department, who explains the process step-by-step. (Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.)

C-VILLE: A person calls TJHD fearing he has the coronavirus. What happens next?

Ta’Kindra Westbrook: We try to provide them with as much information as possible. If they are concerned about their symptoms or think they’ve come in contact with someone with the virus and want to get tested, we refer them to their primary care provider, who can then evaluate their symptoms and order testing, if they feel it’s necessary. If they don’t have a PCP, we ask them to call a local urgent care. Due to CDC guidelines, individuals who’ve been exposed to the virus, but don’t have symptoms, are not prioritized for testing, and are advised to self-isolate for 14 days.

Where is the test sent? How long does it take to get the results?

It all depends on the primary care provider. They can send the test to a commercial lab, such as Labcorp. The results can take up to seven days. 

[Editor’s note: UVA has developed its own coronavirus test, which provides results in one to two days. To get it, a patient must be seen at or referred to UVA Health.]

What do people do while they are waiting to be tested, or for their results to come in?

They should continue to self-isolate and monitor their symptoms. If any changes occur, they should consult with their PCP and seek the necessary medical assistance. 

What happens if the test comes back positive?

The lab is reported to the health department. Once we receive it, we follow up with the primary care provider and collect any necessary medical information and history. A case investigator will then call the patient and do a thorough interview with them to find out who their contacts were during their time of incubation, and while they were out and about. 

Once we get the contacts’ information, we reach out to them and complete a risk assessment, which determines their exposure period to the original patient and if they have any symptoms of COVID-19. If they don’t have any, we ask them to isolate for 14 days from their last moment of contact with that original patient. But if they do have symptoms, or develop them while in isolation, we refer them for testing. 

If one of the contacts tests positive for the virus, we will collect additional information from their primary care provider, and re-interview them to learn about their movement and contacts.

How is the person treated for the virus? 

Again, it is up to their primary care provider. If they are experiencing mild symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose, they may be quarantined at home for approximately two weeks, during which their provider monitors their symptoms. If they have or develop severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, then they may need to be admitted to the hospital.

Categories
Coronavirus News

Kuttner’s clock: Time running short for RV quarantine facility

Entrepreneur Oliver Kuttner says he has the infrastructure to quarantine COVID-19 infected people in an RV village, but needs help to make that happen. Photo: Elli Williams

Entrepreneur and inventor Oliver Kuttner has been known to step up in a crisis. In 2005, he loaded the Starlight Express, a Charlottesville-New York luxury bus service he co-founded, and headed south with supplies to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. 

Now Kuttner has a plan to house those who are infected with COVID-19 and need a place to quarantine: a 157-acre industrial site he owns near Lynchburg and the James River. Initially he wanted to build small bungalows, but then he decided RVs with their own ventilation systems could house 7,000 people more safely than hotels or dormitories.

“I have the infrastructure ready,” he says. “I’m halfway there.” But it’s the second half of his $80-million vision that’s more challenging.

“It’s bigger than what I can do,” Kuttner says. “I’m not a health care provider.” 

He wants a larger organization like FEMA,  the Red Cross, or state government to partner with him for what he says is a very cost-effective way to isolate infected people. “I need someone to put their arms around me,” he says. “I have a plan to flatten the curve in central Virginia.”

And Kuttner, who lives part time in Germany, believes the U.S. is where Germany was seven weeks ago. He’s convinced that if he can’t get the RV park off the ground by April 10, it will be too late to make it happen before health care capacity in the Thomas Jefferson Health District is overwhelmed.

One person interested in a similar plan and who has met with Kuttner is Lockn organizer Dave Frey, who envisions putting campers at NASCAR racetracks. “I know where to get RVs,” says Frey. 

“David has experience setting up a facility for thousands of people,” says Kuttner. 

But so far, Kuttner says he’s gotten no response from FEMA or elected officials. FEMA referred C-VILLE to its how to help webpage, but did not answer whether the agency would get involved in a project like Kuttner’s. 

And as the pandemic continues its exponential growth, Kuttner says, “I would not be surprised if [this plan] never flies.”

The RV retreat isn’t Kuttner’s only COVID-19 effort. On Friday, he said he’d just procured 49 ventilators from his connections in China and plans to offer them to New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo has put out a plea for the respiratory equipment.

Kuttner, who won the $5-million 2010 International X Prize for his design of a 102-miles-per-gallon car, also has finished a prototype for a patient transport vehicle that has separate ventilation for the driver. “I may build 10 next week,” he says. “I’m not sitting at home playing Netflix,” he says of his 18-hour days.

“I think we have a huge disaster coming,” says Kuttner. “I hope I have egg on my face in the end, but from what I’ve read, I think we’re underestimating it.”

 

Categories
Coronavirus News

Ground zero: Local hospitals, health department prepare for coronavirus spike

UVA hospital has been providing medical screening for a variety of diseases as a precaution for the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. PC: Zack Wajsgras

In just a matter of days, the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the Thomas Jefferson Health District has jumped from one to 16, including four in the City of Charlottesville and six in Albemarle County. While the first case was initially thought to be travel-related, it’s now unclear how the individual, a staff member at the UVA women’s center, came in contact with COVID-19, according to the health department. The department is also investigating how the remaining ten individuals contracted the virus, and who else they could have exposed to it. 

With the number of coronavirus cases in Charlottesville only expected to grow, local hospitals are taking extensive measures to prepare for an influx of patients, as well as to assist those currently seeking testing and treatment. In some parts of Italy and, most recently, New York City, an exponential spike in cases has overwhelmed local health care systems, leading to critical shortages of beds and ventilators. 

According to spokesman Eric Swensen, UVA Health System is postponing most clinical visits and surgeries scheduled between now and April 6, with the exception of urgent care, in order to “conserve our resources” and “build capacity to be able to care for folks when they need it.” To minimize the potential spread of the virus, patients at UVA hospital are no longer able to have visitors (with some exceptions). 

UVA staff is also screening everyone before allowing them to enter any facilities, he adds. “If you’re a visitor and are showing any kind of respiratory symptoms or possible exposure to coronavirus, we’re not going to allow you into our clinic or medical center.”

Swensen says there’s been a significant number of people calling UVA health care providers, as well as the UVA health call center, with questions and concerns about coronavirus. In order to prevent the virus from spreading, he urges those who think they may have the virus to call their primary care provider (or, if they don’t have one, the Virginia Department of Health hotline), and not rush to the emergency room. A doctor will then screen them over the phone for common symptoms of the coronavirus—fever, cough, and difficulty breathing—and ask about their travel history and potential exposure to the virus. If they meet the CDC criteria for testing, a doctor can send them to UVA’s referral-only coronavirus clinic. 

In light of the severe national shortages of coronavirus tests, UVA health is now one of the few institutions across the country that has created its own tests, with a goal to have results within one to two days, Swensen says. Due to this increase in testing capacity, it expects to see a spike in local confirmed cases of the virus in the upcoming days. 

“Depending on the severity of their symptoms…not everyone necessarily who gets coronavirus will need hospital care,” Swensen adds. “The first case in Charlottesville is an example of this, where that person is being evaluated and cared for from home.”

According to a news release, one of the other local residents diagnosed with the virus, a UVA student living off-Grounds in Albemarle County who may have contracted it while traveling, is also currently in isolation.

Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital has taken similar steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within its facilities. The hospital has a “fair amount” of ventilators and isolation rooms available, says Vice President of Medical Affairs Paul Tesoriere, and is working with the government to get more testing kits. 

“We’ve identified different areas that we will expand into if we get into a situation where we get a significant influx in patients,” says Tesoriere, “areas that are not being as utilized because the virus has cut down on some procedures or visits.”

A task force meets several times a day to address daily needs and long-term plans.

The TJHD is working closely with both UVA and Sentara, as well as other community partners, to oversee the area’s pandemic response effort and investigate the cases in Charlottesville. But it generally does not supply testing kits or personal protective gear, including masks, goggles, and gloves. Due to the mass shortage of such gear, local doctors and nurses are currently hosting an Equip Cville emergency supply drive (see page 9), collecting donations from businesses, labs, and schools, in partnership with Support Cville. 

“We are working on compiling a list of those in the community that need PPE, and any extra we have we will make sure to get to the appropriate individuals in appropriate health care settings,” says TJHD’s Public Information Officer Kathryn Goodman. “[However,] the demand for [PPE] is unprecedented, and suppliers do not have the inventory to keep up with demand. Local health care providers trying to purchase critical supplies are competing with all providers across the county…efforts like [Equip Cville] are essential to the long-term success of what will be a lengthy response.”

But tests, investigations, and supplies alone will not bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic, Goodman adds. Social distancing, or self-quarantining, is equally as important. 

“We know that there will be cases in this community, and so we’re asking people to stay home as much as possible so that we can prevent and lower the number of cases we see in the area,” she says. “If people do have to go out in public, stay six feet away from one another. [But] if people can just stay home, that’s the best thing we’re going to be able to do to prevent the spread of this.”

When to call your doctor

Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from very mild to severe (or, in some cases, may not occur at all), and usually appear within two to 14 days after being exposed to the virus. They include:

  • Fever
  • Tiredness
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty breathing

If you are experiencing these symptoms, and know or suspect that you’ve been in contact with a person who has COVID-19, or have traveled to an area with a COVID-19 outbreak, you should call your primary care doctor. If you don’t have one, you can also call your local emergency room, urgent care clinic, or a coronavirus hotline:

Contact your doctor early if you’re 60 or older, or have underlying chronic medical conditions, even if your symptoms are mild. Seek medical attention immediately if you’re experiencing any of these emergency warning signs of COVID-19:

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion or inability to arouse
  • Bluish lips or face

Updated 3/25 to reflect accurate number of local coronavirus cases

Categories
Coronavirus News

In brief: City changes, missing masks, budget burdens, and more

Due to the coronavirus, Trader Joe’s is limiting customers to 30 at a time inside the store. PC: Eze Amos

Suddenly, a new normal

Just two weeks ago—two weeks ago!—our schools were open, our basketball team was eyeing a tournament run, and our restaurants were dusting off the patio furniture for long evenings of springtime outdoor dining.

But thanks to the spread of the infectious and dangerous novel coronavirus, Charlottesville has had to quickly adjust to a new normal. 

Parents are scrambling to keep their kids entertained for hours on end, and they can’t just throw them outside, because even the playgrounds are closed. Grocery stores have been cleaned out, as people stock up for a long period of social distancing (Trader Joe’s is limiting customers to 30 at a time inside the store). And on Monday, Governor Ralph Northam announced the closure of non-essential businesses—including gyms, barber shops, and salons—and banned gatherings of more than 10 people.

The town’s health care infrastructure has braced itself for what appears to be an imminent rush of new patients. UVA hospital, which made drastic changes to its visitor policy March 22, has set up a screening station at its entrance, and health care providers are short on personal protective gear, including masks, gloves, and goggles.

Restaurants have shifted to take-out only, including Bodo’s, which for so long resisted the tantalizing potential of the Emmet Street and Preston Avenue stores’ already installed drive-through windows. In times like these, it’s good to accentuate the positive: Yes, we’re in the thick of a global pandemic and a total economic collapse, but at least we’ve got drive-through bagels.

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Quote of the Week

“The sooner we can get this health crisis under control, the sooner our economy will recover… We must put aside what we want and replace it with what we need.”

—Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on his directive, issued March 23, to close non-essential businesses for 30 days 

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More masks, please!

Local health care workers are soliciting donations of masks, gloves, goggles, and other household goods in the face of a national shortage of protective gear. Paige Perriello, an area pediatrician, tweeted a picture of herself wearing a mask made of styrofoam and a piece of clear plastic with the caption “Charlottesville’s innovators are coming to our aid!” The initiative is called Equip Cville, and donations can be left at Champion brewery from 11am-1pm every day—see supportcville.com for details.

Pediatrician Paige Perriello PC: Twitter

Budget burdens

This year’s city budget discussions were contentious even before the added stress of a worldwide public health crisis. Now, with COVID-19 shutting down the restaurant and tourism industries, and meals and lodging tax revenues falling accordingly, the city has announced it will need to cut an additional $5 million from the final budget. The budget was supposed to be finalized in April, but for obvious reasons it will not be finished on schedule.

Community cares

The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation has raised more than $2 million for its emergency response fund, thanks to Dave Matthews Band’s Bama Works Fund, the Batten Family Fund, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and more than 150 other donors. In partnership with Cville Community Cares and United Way, as well the city and county, CACF will distribute the money to area households impacted by COVID-19 and community-based organizations that provide food, housing, and other forms of basic assistance. 

Taking a stand

A group of UVA student activists has created a petition demanding greater resources and support from the university, particularly for students who are low-income, first-generation, and immunocompromised. The petition asks UVA to provide non-student workers (such as Aramark employees) and non-federal work study student workers with paid sick leave; refund housing, meals plans, and tuition/fees (or provide a prorated credit for next semester); offer housing to housing-insecure students and community members; and establish a mutual aid fund for students and low-wage workers with unexpected expenses, among other demands. It has been signed by more than 750 other students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members. 

Categories
Coronavirus Culture

Taking covers: Your social distancing reading list 

The Virginia Festival of the Book may have been cancelled, but the sliver lining is that you can read a book any time, any place. Here are a few suggestions.

With the cancellation of the Virginia Festival of the Book, and recommendations to practice social distancing, there’s never been a better time to pick up some extra reading material. While we’re disappointed that we won’t get to hear from these authors in person, their work and words are still well worth your time. Whether you’re interested in fiction, non-fiction, true crime, or poetry, we have a recommendation to suit your tastes. Here’s a list of books from festival authors to keep you company at home.

Collections

Short stories have the power to open up entire worlds in just a few pages—and the stories within these collections do exactly that. 

  • Midnight at the Organporium by Tara Campbell
  • A Girl Goes Into the Forest by Peg Alford Pursell
  • The World Doesn’t Require You by Rion Amilcar Scott

Fiction

While history books often overlook the lives and experiences of women, historical fiction brings their stories to life. Pick up any of these novels to experience history alongside strong female characters.  

  • Brides in the Sky by Cary Holladay
  • Ribbons of Scarlet by Laura Kamoie
  • Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera

These two novels embrace characters with disabilities, providing much-needed representation for a community that is often overlooked in contemporary fiction. 

  • Like Wings, Your Hands by Elizabeth Early
  • Flannelwood by Raymond Luczak

Here are three novels that invite you to discover the impacts of contemporary diaspora, both individually and culturally. 

  • Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh
  • Travelers by Helon Habila
  • Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok

Explore the personal impacts of war on individuals, families, and communities with these two World War II-era novels. 

  • The Falls of Wyona by David Brendan Hopes
  • How Fires End by Marco Rafalà

Nonfiction

The Flint water crisis is just one example of America’s long history of environmental racism—here are two well-researched books that will enlighten you.

  • The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy by Anna Clark
  • A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind by Harriet Washington

More than merely looking back, well-crafted memoirs shine a light forward. These memoirs explore themes of abuse, addiction, race, gender identity, and more. 

  • Black Indian by Shonda Buchanan
  • Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz
  • The Rib Joint by Julia Koets

Best-selling series

There’s a reason the following authors have all spent time on the best-seller list. These are the latest in their respective series, so be prepared to get hooked on the characters. 

  • A Bitter Feast by Deborah Crombie
  • Hi Five: An IQ Novel by Joe Ide
  • In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin

Crime and thrillers

True-crime fans can get lost in these page- turning examinations of violent crimes and how the rural communities where they occurred responded.   

  • Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
  • The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg

If you enjoy beautifully written page-turners that will keep you guessing until the very end, here are three literary thrillers that should be at the top of your list.

  • Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
  • Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
  • Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith

Poetry

With the right words, poets can create music on the page. These three collections promise lyrical language and thought-provoking beauty. 

  • Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
  • What Penelope Chooses by Jeanne Larsen
  • Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry by John Murillo

Poetry written in response to tragedy, violence, adversity, and the complexity of the human experience has the power to combat despair. These three collections demonstrate why there’s no better antidote to despair than art.

  • Dispatch by Cameron Awkward-Rich
  • In the Months of My Son’s Recovery by Kate Daniels
  • The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write by Gregory Orr

Romance

Even busy professional women need to make time for love. In these three contemporary romance novels, the protagonists attempt to balance work and love.  

  • American Love Story by Adriana Herrera 
  • Dating by the Book by Mary Ann Marlowe
  • Summer on Moonlight Bay by Hope Ramsay

 

Categories
Coronavirus Opinion

This week, 3/18

A Bodo's employee wiped down a railing on Sunday, March 15. On Monday, the bagel shop announced a temporary move to take out only.

A week ago, schools were still in session, the bars and restaurants were full, and most of us were going about our everyday lives, albeit with a growing sense of dread. Here at C-VILLE Weekly, our most pressing problem was what to do with a multi-page cover story we’d prepared for the book festival, which had just been cancelled.

Then came the UVA announcement, then the public schools. Then the events began falling like dominos, all the local harbingers of spring: the 10-miler, TomTom, even the Friends of the Library book sale. For the first time in the paper’s history, we scrapped our events calendar, the bread and butter of every issue, as the CDC advised social distancing and everyone in town, seemingly simultaneously, began to realize that our everyday lives were no longer sustainable.

Watching news of the coronavirus as it steadily does its damage across the globe has been like watching a slow-motion car crash, a multi-car pileup that’s headed straight for you. Yet, it’s still a shock when it hits. Virginia, which had zero known cases of COVID-19 when we first began reporting on the virus two weeks ago, now has 51, and the first Charlottesville case was announced on Monday.

By Monday afternoon, businesses on the Downtown Mall were closing up shop. I stopped into Bizou, an old favorite, and found the normally bustling dining room quiet and dark, the employees lined up behind the counter, eager for a takeout customer. They’re planning to try starting delivery. They’re hoping for the best.

Staying home, avoiding gatherings, shutting down (temporarily) our communal public life—it’s the right thing to do, the only thing to do, to keep the most vulnerable members of our community safe. But it still hurts.

 

Categories
Coronavirus

Hitting home: Coronavirus closings rattle Charlottesville

Volunteers put sandwiches in plastic bags at the PB&J Fund on Monday. Photo: Zach Wajsgras

Virginia reported its first two coronavirus cases on March 9. By March 13, Charlottesville and Albemarle’s governments had each declared a local state of emergency and Governor Ralph Northam had ordered all public schools in Virginia to close for at least two weeks. Charlottesville’s first positive COVID-19 case was announced on March 16, and as of March 19, there have been three more positive cases. Schools and other institutions around the city have been scrambling to adjust, and at press time, many local restaurants and businesses were temporarily shutting down or had switched to delivery only. Here’s a rundown on some of the biggest changes that have happened this week.

Our schools

In times of crisis, strong communities rally together. That spirit was on full display at the PB&J Fund Monday morning, when a dozen volunteers bustled about, sorting donations into lunch packages for students who wouldn’t have access to food while their schools were closed.

“We are packing up lunches for 300 kids in the city today,” said Executive Director Alex London-Gross. “We are so grateful that the elementary school PTOs in the city were mobilized, and really have done a great job getting these donations pouring in.”

Starting on Tuesday, both the city and county schools picked up where the PB&J fund and the PTOs left off, providing grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches at several area locations during the school shutdown. (For more information about food pickup times and places, go to www.charlottesvilleschools.org. In the county, visit www.k12albemarle.org.)

The rapidly escalating situation means schools have been forced to work on the fly to continue to provide some facsimile of their normal services.

“We are talking to principals, and teachers soon, about how to stay connected to students while they’re at home,” says Albemarle County Schools Strategic Communications Officer Phil Giaramita. The school will offer optional, ungraded “self-directed learning activities,” as well as opportunities for teachers to check in on the social and emotional state of their students as the closures continue.

Though some parents will be working from home, many people still have to go to work, potentially leaving young children unsupervised. The city and county schools are looking for ways to provide childcare for families who might not otherwise have access, though firm plans have not been announced.

“Everybody’s working really hard to come up with solutions,” says Krissy Vick, the city school’s community relations liaison. “This is all so fluid.”

Our university

Like many universities around the country, UVA decided to move all its classes online, urging students not to come back to school after spring break ended on March 16.

“My first reaction was being sad,” says UVA Student Council President Ellie Brasacchio. “As a graduating fourth-year, it’s very possible that my undergraduate career just ended. What’s giving me hope and optimism is I think the university’s response to all of this has been very good, particularly in their response to helping first-generation and low-income students.”

The school has given money to help students with travel-related expenses, and Student Council has created a program to pair students in need with donors looking to help.

In the classroom, the shift to online learning will require instructors to get creative. Andrew Garcia, a fourth-year history and politics major, says it feels like the school didn’t give the faculty much guidance on how to make the transition.

“My Italian class, our final grade is on an in-person movie that we’re supposed to make,” Garcia says, an assignment that is now impossible. “How are you going to grade things? People are going to have unequal resources. My books are [in Charlottesville]. I live eight hours away.”

Some students don’t have reliable internet access at home, which will make online classes especially difficult.

Brasacchio and Garcia note that many students are returning to Charlottesville despite the directive to stay away. President Jim Ryan repeatedly urged students to head home, but also shared a heartfelt message offering sympathy to everyone who had been “pouring their hearts into something that will now not happen.”

The university’s closure will also have serious effects on the school’s student workers, university staff, and contract workers. Gyms, dining halls, libraries, and other facilities will either close completely or be open for limited hours. Arielle Hogan is a technician at a biology lab in the medical school. She says she doesn’t know if she would continue to get paid if the lab has to shut down.

As of Tuesday afternoon, some dining halls and libraries, as well as the parking system, were still operating as normal, despite the spread of the virus. UVA spokesperson Brian Coy says the school is aware of the situation, and is working to assist its staff, but that a plan hasn’t been finalized yet.

“Everyone kind of went into response mode,” Coy says. “No one’s ever done anything like this.”

Our shelters

People experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. With Salvation Army shelters at capacity and overnight shelter program PACEM facing a shortage of volunteers, downtown day shelter The Haven has stepped in to house guests overnight. The Haven was granted exceptions to its special use permit for the duration of Charlottesville’s state of emergency, per a resolution passed at Monday’s City Council meeting.

PACEM has had to significantly reduce its volunteer force due to the coronavirus threat.

“Manpower is going to become a real issue going forward,” says Jayson Whitehead, executive director of PACEM. “[We] rely heavily on volunteer involvement, and some of our congregations have an aged population—those folks are appropriately concerned about coming into our environment.”

With the volunteers it has now, PACEM has been screening each guest for symptoms of COVID-19 before admitting them to its host sites, and has sent one guest they feared had the virus to UVA hospital (his results came back negative). It’s also implemented social distancing, making sure there’s six feet in between all cots, and provided some guests with face masks—but desperately needs more, along with gloves, Whitehead says.

Meanwhile, The Haven has also implemented a range of policies to keep its guests, staff, and volunteers safe, including asking all volunteers and staff who are high-risk to stay home, and assembling a low-risk volunteer task force to assist remaining staff. Everyone must wash or sanitize their hands before entering the building.

“The real problem is for someone who is in that circumstance, they can’t practice social distancing, at least not in the same way,” says Steven Hitchcock, executive director of The Haven. “We’re trying to be responsive to that and keep the community safe.”

Other organizations that support at-risk communities have faced different challenges. With panicked shoppers wiping out the aisles at grocery stores around town, local food pantries like Loaves & Fishes have gotten the short end of the stick. The pantry receives nearly half of its food supplies directly from grocery stores, and has noticed a significant decrease in donations in recent days. When Wegmans—one of the pantry’s largest bakery donors—only donated one loaf of bread on Friday, “we realized that might be a new normal,” said Executive Director Jane Colony Mills.

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Quote of the Week

“The coronavirus pandemic is giving us a window into what it looks to shift our lives when there is a major change in our safety status. Climate change is going to do the exact same thing to us that the coronavirus is doing to us now.”

—local resident Emily Little on the proposed city budget not including climate change funding

 

 

Updated 3/19 to reflect current number of coronavirus cases in Charlottesville

Categories
Coronavirus News

Closing chapter: Book festival cancellation reverberates throughout the area

New Dominion owner Julia Kudravetz has temporarily closed her store, but she says the shop will deliver books for free. PC: Natalie Jacobsen

In the past few days, outbreaks of COVID-19 have led to mass cancellations and postponements of events around the country, from the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament to Coachella. Though Charlottesville’s first presumptive positive case was just announced on March 16, efforts to contain the virus spread as much as possible led organizers to call off one of the city’s largest events of the year, the Virginia Festival of the Book.

The decision was weeks in the making, according to Jane Kulow, director of Virginia Center for the Book. Festival staff began monitoring the coronavirus situation in late February, and started receiving cancellations from authors as early as March 2, including one from Washington who told them, “You don’t want me to come.” 

On March 4, staff released a statement announcing that the festival would proceed as planned. But by March 9, they had “received many more cancellations and queries from people,” especially those who are immunocompromised, Kulow says. It became clear that it was best to cancel the festival. 

“This festival has a 25-year legacy, bringing 20,000 to 30,000 people into the community,” Kulow says. “We know the community is disappointed, [and] that it’ll have a huge economic impact…but the bottom line is we have to consider the health of the community.” 

“This has been a very emotional process for the festival’s staff, but it’s been made easier by the warm, sympathetic responses we’ve received,” she adds. 

Since announcing the festival’s cancellation last Wednesday, its three staff members have been busy sending individual messages to attendees, authors, publishers, venues, and volunteers, as well as “answering questions about refunds, and undoing all the program logistics that we’ve spent a year planning,” says Sarah Lawson, assistant director of Virginia Center for the Book. 

Because most of the festival’s programs are free to the public, staff plan a select amount of ticketed events, such as lunches and banquets, and other sponsored programs to help offset costs. But now that the festival’s missed out on these major fundraisers for the year, its staff is asking ticket holders to donate part (or all of) their refund to the festival, and is inviting the public to make donations. 

Authors who planned to attend the festival have also lost out on book sales, Kulow adds. “We encourage everyone to buy their books at local bookstores,”­—to help both the authors and the stores that depend on the influx in sales the festival brings in. 

“We had a wonderful command center for the book festival in our basement, where we had all the books organized by day and by event,”  says New Dominion Bookshop owner Julia Kudravetz. “We’d still love to sell them to people, so they can have those books during this unusual time. We count on that as a significant part of our income for the year, how we pay our staff, and continue to bring literature to the community.” 

New Dominion will be closed to the public until at least March 31, but—with just a call or email ahead—customers in Charlottesville and Albemarle can get books delivered to their doorstep for free. (Those outside of the area can get books shipped.) Anyone willing to venture to the Downtown Mall can get their books in person through the shop’s curbside pickup service. 

And with the thousands of visitors the festival brings in every year, the city’s hotels, restaurants, vendors, and other attractions will certainly take a hit from its cancellation, says Courtney Cacatian, executive director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Omni Charlottesville, for example, was set to host several events during the festival. The hotel says it’s reimbursing reservations from both authors and attendees who were coming to town specifically for the festival. 

While book lovers will have to wait until next year for a full-fledged festival, its staff is currently in conversation with other book festivals around the country about putting on a virtual event, which would include programming and conversations from an array of authors. 

“We’re [also] exploring additional year-round programming for the local community,” adds Lawson. “Stay tuned!”