Hattie Billmeier was a little nervous, but excited. She rolled up her sleeve, and in a “split second” it was all over—she got her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It felt good,” says Billmeier, a second grader at Venable Elementary School. “It just gives you a little pinch.”
Afterwards, Billmeier and her cousins, who also got the shot, celebrated the long-awaited occasion with free snow cones at their pediatrician’s office.
“We were proud of her. I’ve never seen a kid so excited to get stuck with a needle before,” says Hattie’s father Zak Billmeier. “It’s been two years of pretty constant fear around this…so she felt relieved that finally she could have the shot now.”
Since November 6, nearly 5,600 kids ages 5 through 11 in the Blue Ridge Health District have gotten their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which was approved for pediatric use by the CDC on November 2.
The vaccine offers the same protection as the one for older children and adults, but contains one-third the dosage, says Jen Fleisher, BRHD COVID communications lead. Because of the lower dosage, kids typically experience mild side effects, like fatigue, joint pain, and arm soreness. (Billmeier says she experienced no side effects.)
“What we’ve mainly heard from parents is that ‘my kid was just really tired,’” says Fleisher.
Hattie Billmeier PC: courtesy of subject
Over 100 vaccine appointments are now available every day for children at the BRHD community vaccination center at Seminole Square, located inside the former Big Lots next to Marshalls.
The health district is also hosting weekly drive-through clinics at city elementary schools. Many local pediatricians are offering vaccines, too.
Though young children are much less likely to become severely ill and die of COVID-19, the vaccine can prevent them from transmitting the virus to people who are high-risk, especially those who live with them.
“If your whole family is fully vaccinated, you’re reducing that risk of hospitalization for the entire household,” explains Fleisher. “You’re also reducing that risk of complications for teachers, and increasing your chance of having a normal school day.”
“There are kids who are very high-risk and they want to see their friends,” she adds. “I personally know families who have been quarantined for two years.”
Fleisher encourages parents who are hesitant to get their child vaccinated to voice their concerns. At the health district’s vaccine sites, local families and medical professionals who participated in the clinical trials are available to answer any questions parents—or kids—may have.
“The main concern I hear is [that] it’s so new,” says Fleisher. However, “everything is happening at a rapid pace because for the first time there are all these situations that make it more viable to have clinical trials…It’s not because they are rushing it.”
For his family, it’s been nice to finally be “a part of the solution,” says Zak Billmeier.
“It’s about keeping everybody safe, all of us together as a community,” he says. “It’s the best thing we can do for each other.”
The above graph compares the spread of COVID on Grounds to peer institutions this spring.
Around the country, universities scrambled to conduct classes and host students while keeping COVID under control. The graphs and illustrations below provide a snapshot of UVA’s efforts to limit viral transmission among its students over the last year. All statistics are as of May 13.
Student spread
The school reports 2,824 COVID cases among students since the beginning of the fall semester. This year’s enrollment was 25,642, meaning roughly 1 in 9 students have contracted COVID at some point during this academic year. Nationally, 27 million cases have been confirmed since August, meaning around 1 in 12 U.S. residents have contracted COVID during the same timeframe.
School rivalries
The chart below compares the spread on Grounds this spring to a handful of peer institutions.
Peaks and valleys
The school community saw COVID case counts spike at the beginning of each semester.
Spit take
UVA administered 343,466 COVID tests this year, to students and employees and also through outreach programs at local churches and community centers. The majority of those were saliva tests. Each saliva screening requires 5 milliliters of spit. That’s 1,717 liters of saliva in total—enough to fill 11.3 medium-sized (40 gallon) bathtubs.
More than 83,000 residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County have been vaccinated, while in Pittsylvania County, where Danville is located, 23,554 vaccines have been administered. The health department reports that 27.4 percent of Virginians have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
By Emily Hamilton
Early last week, UVA first-year Reese Alpher heard she could get a coronavirus vaccine if she drove two hours south to a community vaccination center in Danville—so she jumped at the chance.
“When I went, the word was that [the shots] were getting thrown out and that there were too many vaccines just for Danville, and it was for surrounding areas,” Alpher says. “When I got there, there was no one in line.”
Alpher says she walked up without an appointment and got a shot in less than 20 minutes.
Word of vaccine availability in Danville soon spread like wildfire through the UVA student body. Alpher was one of more than 700 students added to a GroupMe chat called Get Vaccinated UVA, where students were sharing information about how to get a shot in Danville. In the early part of last week, dozens if not hundreds of students caravaned south to get their shots.
Shortly after, however, the Virginia Department of Health issued guidance urging residents not to travel to community vaccination centers without an appointment or invitation, and the Danville center stopped accepting walk-ups.
The Danville center initially opened on March 15 at the former JCPenney store in the Danville Mall, with a goal of administering 3,000 vaccine doses per day. The center was started with FEMA funding that allowed for three community vaccination centers to open across the state. Danville, a smaller and more rural town than Charlottesville, was selected as a location due to its relatively high proportion of vulnerable residents.
An announcement about the opening of the Danville Community Vaccination Center originally stated that vaccines would be administered only to those with an appointment, and that walk-ins would not be accepted. But word spread quickly among UVA students that traveling to Danville without an appointment would still get them a vaccine.
After state health officials became aware that many UVA students, who reside in the Blue Ridge Health District, were going to Danville’s health district to receive their vaccines, VDH and The Virginia Department of Emergency Management issued a press release urging people not to travel to community vaccination centers without an appointment, and effectively ending walk-in vaccinations.
“Fluctuating registration numbers in the initial stages of site operations have allowed for walk-ins in some isolated instances, but this is no longer the case,” the press release read.
Dena Potter, director of communications at the Virginia Department of General Services, leads vaccine communications for the state, and clarified the miscommunication surrounding unused vaccines at the Danville site. “When we opened the Danville CVC, it was the first in the state, and we allocated 3,000 doses per day for that site,” Potter says. “We went into this knowing we needed to be flexible and learn from each location, and we built in the capacity to scale up or down, as needed. We learned that 3,000 doses per day outpaces the current demand in Danville.”
“As we were working through that strategy, the clinic opened temporarily to walk-ins so that we could continue to vaccinate people,” Potter says. “We now have stopped that, and we urge people not to travel to Danville to get a vaccine.”
According to the Virginia Department of Health, 27.4 percent of Virginians have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 14.7 percent of Virginians are fully vaccinated. In Charlottesville and Albemarle, 83,187 total vaccine doses have been administered, while in Pittsylvania County, where Danville is located, 23,554 vaccine doses have been administered. Charlottesville is currently in Phase 1B of vaccination rollout, and the Danville area is in Phase 1C.
After guidance was issued urging others not to travel to Danville to get the vaccine, some Charlottesville residents who had already done so reached out to the Blue Ridge Health District to see if they could receive their second dose here in Charlottesville.
At a BRHD press conference on March 25, local officials said they are unable to give second doses to those who received their first dose in a different locality.
“We’ve heard of a lot of different community members and students driving down to Danville to get their first dose of the vaccine, and we’ve also heard from folks who are requesting that they can get their second dose here in Charlottesville,” said Kathryn Goodman, the Blue Ridge Health District public relations and communications manager.
“We want people to be vaccinated, and we understand that it’s hard to be patient and wait for the vaccine supply to increase in the health district,” Goodman said. “But given the limited vaccine supply, we are unable to provide second doses for individuals who are going to these larger vaccination centers.”
Top doc Anthony Fauci speaks at the White House in April.
It’s been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives. And how far we’ve come—this time last year, we thought “flattening the curve” would take two weeks, and the medical advice of the moment was “don’t touch your face.”
A year later, toilet paper is no longer the hottest commodity on the market, but students continue to learn online, working from home is the new normal for many, and attending a large, in-person event is still incomprehensible. Since Governor Ralph Northam’s state of emergency declaration last year, half a million Virginians have contracted the disease and more than 9,500 have died.
In the timeline on the right, we look back at the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic, and how it unfolded in Charlottesville and around the country.—Emily Hamilton
March 10, 2020
The U.S. records 270 new COVID cases. President Trump says “Stay calm and it will go away.”
The Virginia Festival of the Book is canceled.
March 11, 2020
The World Health Organization officially declares COVID-19 a pandemic—a catalyst that set off many subsequent closures.
UVA moves classes online for the “foreseeable future.”
Tom Hanks announces that he has COVID-19, making him one of the first public figures to contract the virus.
The NBA suspends the rest of its season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tests positive.
Albemarle County Public Schools suspend school-related travel outside the county for students and staff, along with travel inside the county to events with more than 100 people.
Tom Hanks was one of the first high-profile people to contract the disease. Photo: Tom Bauld
March 12, 2020
Governor Northam declares a state of emergency in Virginia.
The City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County issue declarations of local emergency soon after Northam’s declaration, allowing the localities to access emergency reserve resources to mitigate the spread of the virus.
The Charlottesville Ten Miler is canceled, for the first time since it began in the 1970s.
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is canceled.
March 13, 2020
Northam orders Virginia’s K-12 schools to close for at least two weeks.
March 14, 2020
The first COVID-19-related death in Virginia is recorded. The state registers a total of 45 virus cases.
March 15, 2020
Northam bans gatherings of more than 100 people in Virginia.
March 16, 2020
The first UVA employee tests positive for COVID-19, also marking the first case of the virus in the wider Charlottesville area.
March 17, 2020
Northam gives local law enforcement the power to enforce a new limit of 10 people in restaurants, fitness centers, and theaters.
UVA cancels Final Exercises for the Class of 2020.
March 23, 2020
Northam orders Virginia schools to close for the rest of the year, along with certain non-essential businesses.
Trump downplays the severity of the virus as states begin to dole out their own stay-at-home orders, stating that “Our country wasn’t built to be shut down.”
In brief
Hopeless Hamilton
Charlottesville and Albemarle’s 57th House of Delegates district is, at a low estimate, 85 percent Democrats. But don’t tell that to Philip Andrew Hamilton, Fairfax native and AT&T employee who has announced that he’s running for the district as a Republican. Hamilton is anti-mask and pro-Confederate statue; he invited Richmond pro-Trump agitator Mike Dickinson to speak at his campaign kickoff on Sunday. After Hamilton’s announcement, sitting Delegate Sally Hudson tweeted “The contrast between us could not be more stark.”
Students return to city schools
After an entire year away from the classroom, around 2,100 preschoolers through sixth graders in the city school system started in-person classes on Monday. Students must have their temperatures checked, wear masks, and practice social distancing, among other safety measures. Due to a bus driver shortage and rider limits, many students have no choice but to walk or bike to school, reports The Daily Progress. Parents and local nonprofits have stepped up to help supervise students or provide transportation, but remain concerned about safety. In the coming weeks, the division is expected to hire more drivers and add more routes.
Attack of the NIMBYs
A proposed development that would have brought 370 new apartments to Albemarle County—with 75 percent designated as affordable housing—was deferred by the county planning commission last week. A well-organized group of residents from the nearby affluent Forest Lakes community spoke against the project. They’re in favor of affordable housing, they say—just don’t build it anywhere near them.
Quote of the week:
“We’ll put a mask on the ACC trophy for sure.” –UVA men’s hoops coach Tony Bennett, after winning the conference in a COVID-altered season
This year’s UVA graduation will be held virtually, and will look nothing like 2018’s, pictured above. Photo: Dan Addison
Dashed hopes have become commonplace in this year of the pandemic, but UVA President Jim Ryan’s announcement on March 3 still stung: No friends, family, or guests will be allowed at the university’s 2021 graduation. Last year’s festivities were canceled too, and this year the school had hoped to hold two ceremonies on consecutive weekends for the classes of 2020 and 2021.
The university is weighing options for honoring its students—a virtual ceremony will be held this spring, and a visitor-friendly graduation could be in the works for an as-yet unspecified date. The UVA news is especially bitter for the class of 2020, which has now seen commencement ceremonies postponed twice.
It’s also tough on area businesses, which have had a difficult year.
Courtney Cacatian, executive director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, estimates conservatively that the local economic impact this May for two canceled graduations “is at least $5 million.”
A typical graduation weekend accounts for about $2 million in hotel room revenues, with 40,000 guests staying for at least two nights, filling all of the city’s 3,768 rooms. The $5 million figure comprises premium lodging rates plus lost revenues at restaurants, shops, wineries, and other tourist sites. “This lost revenue will make recovery that much more difficult,” Cacatian says.
Owners and managers in the hospitality business almost all said they were not expecting a robust graduation month this year. Several used the word “creative” when asked how they have been getting through the past 12 months.
Michelle Davis, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott near the medical center says she “believed it was probably not going to materialize this year because of the restrictions.” On March 4, the hotel began calling people who had booked rooms, and had also started to receive cancellations. While the past year has also been hard without large football and basketball crowds, she says, “I also believe there is an end in sight.”
Across West Main, The Draftsman front desk agent Sharron Smith says the hotel hasn’t made specific plans about graduation weekend. Over the past year, it has only experienced full occupancy during February’s dreadful ice storms.
Airbnbs are emerging from hibernation. “Graduation is about three times the usual charge,” says superhost Gail McDermott, who was just getting ready to open hers again when she heard about Ryan’s decision. “It would have been nice, but Airbnb hosts here don’t fully depend on graduation. The season for Charlottesville is spring, summer, and fall weekends.”
Caterers and restaurants have been working hard to keep their doors open in a difficult year. Lisa McEwan, owner of HotCakes at Barracks Road, is now in the kitchen six days a week and enjoying a lift in store sales from returning students and warmer weather. “I’m not sure yet how we will market for this year’s graduation period,” she says. “Catering is important to profitability.” Parents, who are not invited to Grounds, pick up most of that tab.
Manager Julia Wegman at Farm Bell Kitchen and Dinsmore Boutique Inn is testing materials for the best ways to package to-go brunch foods. She wonders when people will feel comfortable walking into crowded rooms once more, and how businesses will adapt. Optimistic, she says some visitors may still wish to come and organize activities of their own near Grounds.
It won’t be the same, however. Davis at Marriott says she feels worst for the Class of 2020’s two-year wait. “Once the students leave, it’s hard to say ‘come back,’” she says.
Local no-kill sanctuary Caring for Creatures says it’s been a banner
year for adoptions. Photo: Zack Wajsgras
The past year has been one of unforeseen circumstances and challenges. But an unexpected outcome worth celebrating is that pet adoptions around the country—and right here in the Charlottesville area—are at an all-time high. And now, almost a year into the pandemic, it seems like these adoptions are sticking.
In 2020, the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA processed 3,758 pet adoptions—more than any previous year in the organization’s history. Chief Executive Officer Angie Gunter says, “We are incredibly grateful to have continued to place animals with families despite the extraordinary circumstances brought on by the pandemic.”
Another no-kill sanctuary in town, Caring for Creatures, saw a similar increase in adoption applications, particularly in the early months of the pandemic. “In April, we easily did four times the adoptions that we normally do,” says CFC President and Founder Mary Birkholz. “We couldn’t keep up with the adoption applications.”
These facilities don’t expect the pace to slow any time soon. “We are optimistic that pet adoptions will continue to remain steady throughout 2021,” Gunter says. “We have placed 47 more pets in homes so far this year compared to the same time last year.”
Increased pet adoptions haven’t just benefited shelters and sanctuaries. For pet adopters, their new furry companions are the bright spots in otherwise tumultuous times. Charlottesville resident Lauren Goetzinger adopted Beatrice, a 15-year-old black cat, from the CASPCA in May 2020. “Life has greatly improved,” says Goetzinger. “The first few months of the pandemic were really hard in general, but especially living alone in quarantine. I needed a companion during this tough time.”
Goetzinger had considered adopting a pet for some time, but her work schedule kept her out of the house for long stretches. After transitioning to working from home in March, she saw it as a perfect time to adopt. “It gave me an opportunity to bond with her,” says Goetzinger. “I really urge anyone who is looking at animals to not overlook a senior. I don’t think I could have gotten a sweeter cat.”
For those who may find the long-term commitment of adoption to be overwhelming, fostering is a great alternative that provides temporary solace for both the person and pet, say the shelter directors. Similar to the upward trend in adoptions, more people in the community have volunteered to foster dogs and cats in the past year.
Increased fostering has been especially vital, as shelters have had to limit volunteering for safety reasons related to the pandemic. More fostering has also been a wonderful development for the animals, who benefit from being in home environments rather than institutions. At the CASPCA, more than 70 percent of pets have been placed into foster care since March 2020. “Not only did they thrive in their foster homes, but they were also more likely to be adopted due to promotion by their fosters,” says Gunter.
“This has been the type of sheltering that has needed to happen for years,” says Humane Society/SPCA of Nelson County Director Lindsey Huffman. “Integrating fosters into the community and having them be part of everyday lives while they’re waiting for permanent homes has been the most beautiful thing to come out of the past year.” The HS/SPCA is working to expand its adult dog fostering program in 2021 to get even more pets out of the shelter and into temporary homes.
While increased adoptions and fosters have been good things during COVID-19, there has been concern about the possibility of a rise in animal surrenders and returns. Potential factors include financial hardship brought on by the pandemic and hasty decisions to adopt pets.
Fortunately, area shelters and sanctuaries have not reported increases in surrenders or returns. In fact, these numbers have decreased. At the CASPCA, for example, 204 fewer pets were surrendered in 2020 than in 2019, according to Gunter.
While Caring for Creatures has also not reported an increase, it has received calls from concerned pet owners about behavior changes. “People being home with their animals can be a positive thing, but it is also a shift in routine for the animal. Some are acting out a little bit, reflecting the state of mind of their humans,” says Birkholz. (You’re not imagining it: Your cat really does want you to get out of its way.) In most cases, these behavior shifts can be managed without the animals having to be rehomed.
While it has been a banner year for pet adoptions, the needs of these nonprofit organizations remain great, particularly for supplies and monetary donations. “We are incredibly appreciative of the support from our community, as none of the work that we do would be possible without their continued support,” says Gunter.
If you are interested in adopting a pet, the CASPCA, CFC, and HS/SPCA are accepting adoption applications online. Each facility is open by appointment only. Check their websites for details about adopting, fostering, and donating (caspca.org; caringforcreatures.org; nelsonspca.org).
Like so many pets
around the world,
Morris the cat has helped his owner get through a tumultuous year. Photo: Tristan Williams
By Sam Baars
One of the best things about my cat is that he can’t read a newspaper.
Nearly half a million people have contracted COVID-19, and the body count of this global health crisis continues to climb. The planet is warming at an alarming rate. And a certain white supremacist ex-president staged a literal attempted coup at the symbolic center of American democracy. But Morris doesn’t know about any of it.
When I’m stuck at home curled up in the fetal position beside a phone that’s flooded with New York Times push notifications, he crawls onto the fattest part of me he can find and we share a special moment: I look at him like all 15.7 pounds of my orange, anxiety-reducing cat blanket are God’s greatest gift to earth—and he thinks curling up on me is slightly more comfortable than the floor.
Plenty of times in this year of social unrest, it’s felt bad to be of the same species as the people still making the world so unjust and ugly. But there were some days when I got to press pause, and feel with Morris the simple thrill of rediscovering the dust-covered Satan’s Pony cap he’d batted under the fridge. His innocence keeps me grounded, and even if just for a moment, life feels really good. We’re living in a kitty world where bottle caps are king, fluffy tummies are celebrated, and civilization isn’t falling down around our ears.
I cherish the days we’ve spent trapped inside together while hiding out from the coronavirus, but we go outside, too.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents to a recent study conducted on behalf of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation said they didn’t appreciate nature as much as they should have before the COVID-19 crisis, and 32 percent said they’re participating in more outdoor activities than ever.
Morris isn’t one of them.
Though he may look like a meager house cat, he’s a longtime outdoor enthusiast and my go-to guy when it’s time for some fresh air. The way he shrieks by the front door when he wants to get out is almost endearing. The way he slinks like a caterpillar down the sidewalk definitely is. And the heads a leashed cat and his disheveled mother can turn in town are the cherry on top.
When I took this handful of fur home from the shelter eight years ago, I’ll admit I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But I’ve learned a lot from the tabby cat who’s worried only about where his next quarter cup of Science Diet is coming from.
Now I know the weight of the world isn’t only mine to carry, and while ignorance is a privilege it truly can be bliss, too. Sometimes a quick bite and a short walk are a cure-all. And one can never be too finicky.
UVA detected 1,300 cases of COVID among students, faculty, staff, and contract workers this semester. Photo: Skyclad Aerial
It’s 11am on Thursday, November 19. The U.S. has reached an all-time high for COVID-19 infections in a single day. Colleges have reported record-high numbers as well, contributing to around 2 percent of national infections, according to the New York Times.
And UVA President Jim Ryan has declared victory.
In a video posted to the school’s website, Ryan said the university had accomplished “what many said couldn’t be done,” and showed the world “what being a great and good university looks like.”
It’s true that UVA has largely avoided the uncontrolled spread that worried community members in the summer, when the university first announced its plan to welcome students back to Grounds. At the time, Virginia was experiencing a Memorial Day spike in COVID-19 cases and inching out of its initial Phase 1 restrictions. After college students gathered en masse for the traditional Midsummer’s party weekend, some community leaders sounded the alarm.
“I, for one, don’t understand why the students are coming back into the community, from all over the globe, and why we’re taking that chance,” Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker said at a virtual press conference over the summer.
Some at the university also pushed back against in-person classes. The United Campus Workers union and Student Council both petitioned for an all-virtual semester. In early September, student and community activists held a die-in demonstration where 50 people protested by feigning dead on the Rotunda steps and the Lawn.
Three months later, the semester is in the books. (Students left Grounds before Thanksgiving, a little earlier than usual.) Since August, the university has identified just under 1,300 COVID-19 infections among students, faculty, and staff, a number the administration has deemed a success. Those cases resulted in zero deaths and zero hospitalizations, reports university spokesman Brian Coy.
This graph from UVA’s COVID dashboard shows cases detected at the school over the course of the semester.
“There were a lot of people who were skeptical that students, or the rest of our community, would follow those behaviors closely enough to avoid a major outbreak,” says J.J. Davis, UVA’s chief operating officer. “However, as a whole, this community showed that we were capable of coming together and doing the right things to protect each other and keep the semester on track.”
Provost Liz Magill says the university faced “impossible odds” when the coronavirus pandemic halted operations in March. She cited measures such as the high amount of isolation and quarantine beds, increased testing, and restrictions on gatherings when cases spiked. The measures “weren’t easy” but ultimately the university “overcame historic obstacles,” Magill says.
Final exams
An aggressive testing operation lies at the center of the school’s COVID prevention plan. As the semester wore on, UVA instituted a mandatory testing policy, periodically calling all students living in the area to report to the Central Grounds Parking Garage for a spit test. From November 15-21, as the semester wrapped up, the school conducted 9,453 tests. Virginia has 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students living on Grounds this fall; for comparison, Virginia Tech, a school of 34,000 students, conducted 4,910 tests during that same week in November. This semester, Tech has detected around 1,600 cases.
At the beginning of the semester, UVA created 1,500 quarantine beds for students who had been exposed to the virus. The ability to shift students into this quarantine housing proved pivotal in the early fall. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had to send students back home during the first week of in-person classes, when cases shot up and quarantine rooms dwindled to the single digits. UVA experienced a similar spike in cases during its first week of in-person classes (UNC had 130, UVA 199) but the school’s supply of quarantine beds was large enough to weather the storm.
Additionally, testing allowed UVA to monitor residence halls and identify clusters in places like the Balz-Dobie and Hancock residence halls. Regular dorm wastewater testing combined with mandatory dorm resident testing kept infections from exploding on Grounds.
Dr. Taison Bell, a pulmonary and critical care physician and graduate student who also works in the UVA hospital’s COVID-19 ICU, thinks the university learned its lesson from other colleges across the country.
“A lot of peer institutions were having issues with large-scale COVID outbreaks,” Bell says. “So maybe it was a combination of learning lessons from those institutions and effective messaging at the university.”
Laying down the law
Even with that containment structure in place, videos periodically surfaced during the semester that showed troubling scenes for those who had hoped to see social distancing.
In October, an anonymous student sent a video to CBS19 of students packing, mask-less, into the first floor of Trinity Irish Pub on the Corner. Weeks before, Ryan signaled out bars specifically in a video message sent to the UVA community, saying “If you can’t stay six feet apart, don’t go in.”
“It seems hypocritical to me that the administration tries to pretend like they’re enforcing these rules when in reality there are these events that are happening,” an anonymous student told CBS19 at the time.
Days later, students were seen waiting in long lines to enter bars on Halloween weekend.
Davis concedes there were “some issues of noncompliance,” but the school responded by laying down the law, tightening restrictions after the potential super-spreader weekend.
“There were a couple times where more strict messaging had to go out to the university community,” Bell says. “But it seems like, after that happened, the prevalence [of the virus] overall went down and the system wasn’t strained…I think overall they did a really good job.”
The Balz-Dobie and Hancock clusters prompted new gathering restrictions early in the semester, barring students from gathering in groups of more than five people. The university’s ambassadors, a school-run safety force that patrols areas on and off Grounds, enforced the rules strictly, and violations could result in academic punishments.
In a September video, Ryan alluded to several interim suspensions of students failing to adhere to social distancing policies. The university’s policy directory states that students cannot hold an event, indoors or out, that includes multiple groups from different households. The policy also outlines the face mask and social distancing requirements.
Fourth-year Hallie Griffiths says the stricter penalties had a real effect. “I know friends that would have gathered in bigger groups regardless of safety because they felt that if they got sick, they would be fine,” but they didn’t want to get expelled, she says.
The looming terror of the virus made it a strange time to be a student, Griffiths adds. In addition to the interruption of extracurricular activities, classes, and Greek life, students had to cope with ever-changing rules, the complexities of online classes, and fears of infection.
Constant safety adjustments were a whirlwind as well. The university has updated and added information to its Return to Grounds plan at least 24 times since August 4, an experience Griffiths says was “confusing and frustrating.”
“Every week there was a new email and a lot of people’s lives were turned to chaos,” she says. “And then we would adjust and then there’d be a new email.”
“It was scary in the sense that all of us came into it not really knowing what to expect and then it very quickly became very real,” Griffiths says. “All the traditions are gone. Time is stopped in one place but also going very fast. …Especially with classes ending this week, I’ve realized that time is gone and I’ll never get it back.”
Community containment
A central concern for observers in town was the possibility of community spread, especially for vulnerable communities surrounding the university. Although cases spiked at UVA in September and October, the numbers don’t suggest that on-Grounds cases resulted in large numbers of city and county residents getting sick.
But while UVA was cracking down on restrictions, the city was as well.
“Coronavirus ordinances in Albemarle and Charlottesville that were passed were aimed at being in conjunction with UVA returning,” says City Councilor Michael Payne.
In the summer, Charlottesville imposed more severe gathering restrictions than the rest of the state, in part to mitigate the effect of students returning. In Charlottesville, restaurants were unable to operate at more than 50 percent capacity and people weren’t allowed to gather in groups of more than 50.
“I think UVA was taking a huge risk in terms of having all these students come back,” Payne says.
“They have been able to prevent a massive community spread in a worst-case scenario. So in that sense it’s definitely been successful,” the city councilor continues. “But there’s no way around it: When you have that many people coming into the community, you’re going to see a big spike in cases, and that’s what we did see.”
And of course, the story is far from over. Students will return for the spring semester in February. As cold weather drives groups inside and students travel back to Charlottesville from COVID hot spots, the university could once again become dicey terrain. Referencing the cold weather and spring semester, Magill said that “vigilance will be more important than ever.”
“I’m never going to say that I feel comfortable with where things are, because there’s always the possibility that things can break loose,” says Bell. “But what I will say is that, in general, our area has done fairly well with controlling the pandemic compared to a lot of areas of the country…I think this means that, going forward, we have to keep that same diligence up.”
Daily new cases in Charlottesville and Albemarle PC: Data courtesy TJHD
Tighten it up
On Sunday, with COVID-19 cases surging across the United States, Governor Ralph Northam announced a new set of stricter regulations for citizens and businesses in Virginia. The rules, which went into effect at midnight on November 15, limit gatherings to 25 individuals, instead of the previous 250. Restaurants are now required to end alcohol sales by 10pm and close by midnight. Masks are mandated for any person over the age of 5, in contrast to the previous mandate, which only included those 10 years of age and up. There are large exceptions, however: The new restrictions do not apply to schools, churches, offices, gyms, businesses, or sporting events.
On November 12, the day before Northam’s announcement, the CDC reported 194,610 new cases in the U.S., the record for a single day. Virginia is doing better than many states, yet has still seen a 24.3 percent rise in its weekly average cases compared to last month. The Thomas Jefferson Health District, which encompasses the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, continues to see relatively stable numbers of total cases, though officials have warned that things could get worse quickly as the holiday season sets in.
With less than two weeks until Thanksgiving, Northam describes these restrictions as preventative. “COVID-19 is surging across the country, and while cases are not rising in Virginia as rapidly as in some other states, I do not intend to wait until they are,” he said in a video released on Sunday. “We are acting now to prevent this health crisis from getting worse.”—Caroline Challe
Early to bed
Monday night’s City Council meeting adjourned just after 9:30pm, a mercifully early finish. This year, council meetings, which begin at 6:30 pm, have regularly run into the wee hours of the morning. As councilors and observers have noted, holding important discussions late in the evening makes public participation difficult for working people, and also puts a strain on the city’s staff.
This week’s early adjournment comes in part thanks to a scheduling tweak made by council, which will now listen to reports by city staff—like Monday’s report on the city’s fiscal year 2021 budget—in the afternoon, rather than during the evening meetings.
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Quote of the week
“You get one person who’s asymptomatic and infected, and then all of a sudden, four or five people in that gathering are infected…You don’t want to be the Grinch that stole the holidays.”
—Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the importance of safe Thanksgiving plans
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In brief
Union recruitment
With UVA Health System experiencing severe staffing and management issues, United Campus Workers at UVA is currently surveying and recruiting hospital employees. The union urges them to regularly check their work email for a confidential survey on their working conditions and concerns, as well as their right to join the union, which is protected under federal and state law.
Police problems
An October blog post from the Rugby Avenue Unitarian Universalist church circulated this week, describing yet another example of troubling behavior from the Charlottesville Police Department. Per the blog post, a Black male church member was walking down the sidewalk, on his way to help clean the playground, when a UVA student called the cops. Five police cars flocked to the scene and accosted the church member for questioning before letting him proceed. An internal investigation is ongoing, and will conclude in around two weeks, says CPD spokesman Tyler Hawn.
High priorities
Governor Northam announced on Monday that he will support legislation to fully legalize marijuana in the next year’s General Assembly session. Last year, the assembly decriminalized the drug, making possession punishable with a fine rather than a misdemeanor. Should the Old Dominion move forward with Northam’s plan, Virginia would become the 16th state, and the first state in the South, to make the drug fully legal.
Cash help
With remaining CARES Act funds, the city will offer some financial assistance to the 228 temporary employees it stopped paying last month. Those with a household income below 50 percent of the area median income can receive up to $750, while those below 30 percent can get up to $1,000. Interested employees must contact the Department of Human Services.
Mountaintop Montessori teacher Corey Borgman educates parents and kids on how to use new online learning platforms. Photo courtesy subject
By Virginia Daugherty
“We teachers stay in touch and try to keep up our morale.”
“Children aren’t meant to sit in front of computers all day.”
“I’m upping my skills daily.”
“I didn’t sign up for this.”
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and this year our local educators deserve a special shout-out as they try their best to teach under quarantine.
On Friday, March 13, local teachers learned there would be no school starting Monday, March 16. With some on-the-ball leadership, they pivoted, and thus started a peculiar kind of education.
Zoom, Google Classroom, Seesaw, MeVideo—teachers had to pick up computer programs immediately so online classes could function. Most had never done “distance teaching.” Yes, they had used technology. But not to the extent now required.
“First, I assigned all the students to make a video of themselves singing ‘We Shall Overcome’ with their families,” Charlottesville High School music teacher Will Cooke says. “They laughed, but some of them really got into it, using beatboxes and tambourines.” French teacher Dorothy Carney taught Buford Middle School students how to take an online tour of the Louvre and write about a painting. At Jack Jouett Middle School, English teachers mailed a novel to 200 seventh-graders, then posted the reading assignments online, according to instructional coach Erin James. Across our school systems, and I presume the whole U.S., there’s an explosion of creativity.
CHS music teacher Will Cooke teaching from home. Photo courtesy subject.
Not that it’s easy. “It takes a lot more preparation and planning,” says CHS art teacher Marcelle Van Yahres. “It’s a steep learning curve,” according to Mountaintop Montessori art teacher Ginnie Daugherty. “The lighting may be bad. The background may be bad.” Reading specialist Kris Wray has to post comments for Greer Elementary School kids in 11 different classes.
The internet provides a lot of content, but much must be created from scratch. A teacher may record herself reading Abuelo and the Three Bears, post a math problem, or create a bread-making video. Making these may take 15 minutes or four hours.
At Stoney Point Elementary, Shelby White gives her preschool through first graders only an hour of work a day, half math and half literacy. “It’s overwhelming for some,” she says. Kelly Farr gives her Clark Elementary kids a weekly schedule and makes it as user-friendly as possible. Nathanael Greene Primary teacher Jennifer Murphy simply films herself for small lessons, joking “I’m 61. The younger teachers are more savvy.” Cooke can’t conduct his four real choruses, so he gives one-on-one singing lessons to 140 chorus members, grades nine-12.
Not everybody has Wi-Fi access and it’s not conducive to some activities . “Everything is different. Everyone is struggling. We had to refigure how to do everything.” Wray says. Some parents know computers, some don’t. Some parents find teaching natural, others don’t know how.”
“I was talking to a student yesterday, and he said ‘Can I call you back? I’m babysitting my little brother,’” says Cooke. “Many students are working, so they have double responsibilities. I see my students in every grocery store in town.” And many parents are in survival mode, maybe working at home, depressed over job loss, or short on food money.
Corey Borgman, English and math teacher at Mountaintop, explains that some parents cannot get onto a school-type schedule. Their children are all different ages. “They are just trying to think of fun activities, like camping in the backyard.” White says she tries to model teaching for the parents. “My Choice Boards have ideas for parents of things to do, using gross motor skills and fine motor skills, for example. Preschoolers learn through play, not just sitting at a desk.”
“I’m a huge hugger,” says Kelly Farr at Clark. “Now every Wednesday my fourth grade has Google Meet. They can see each other. We don’t work. It’s a chance to see what everybody is doing. We have dance parties!”
Jennifer Murphy videos an early literacy lesson. Photo courtesy subject.
For all the innovation and creativity, though, there’s no getting around the loss of in-person connection. “Normally we see kids and parents and there is a lot of nonverbal communication,” Borgman says. “I cannot tell how thoroughly they are understanding now because I’m not getting that feedback.” Jennifer Murphy, at Greene, agrees. “Seesaw has feedback but it’s inconsistent. In class you’re witnessing every moment,” she says. “Also, I have ESL students, and this is not meeting their needs.”
The abrupt change to the end of the school year has been hard emotionally, too. “We didn’t get to say goodbye,” says one teacher. “I still get upset,” says another. “After our class meetings I just start to cry. We miss seeing the kids. We worry about the ones we don’t hear from.”
What is the silver lining for education in a quarantine? The Standards of Learning (Virginia’s statewide standardized tests) were postponed. “We are grateful for this return to creative teaching,” says Cooke. And Beth Gehle, a CHS social studies instructor, echoes that. “This may be an opportunity to rethink how we assess. High-stakes testing is not equitable. What is the best way to find out what students know?”
“I hope it’s an opportunity to realize what’s important,” says Wray. “We should slow down.” And James confides, “This has forced some teachers to catch up on technology.” But she adds, “I hope that kids get sick of computers.”
Virginia Daugherty is a former mayor of Charlottesville. Her daughter, Ginnie Daugherty, teaches at Mountaintop Montessori.
