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Albemarle County formally calls off local COVID-19 emergency

Chris Graham
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The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has formally ended the local emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recognition that there are no further emergency actions related to the COVID-19 disaster.

The local declaration allows the county to access resources and expeditiously provide aid and other assistance during a public health crisis or other disaster. View the resolution.

“On behalf of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, I would like to first and foremost thank our entire community for their diligence in reducing transmission of the virus throughout the course of the pandemic and for the support that we have all shown each other as we continue to navigate this difficult time together,” said Donna Price, chair of the Board of Supervisors.

“To be clear, and as the Stealth Omicron BA.2 variant attracting significant attention demonstrates, COVID-19 is still present. Our ability to protect the most vulnerable through vaccination, mitigation measures, and treatment, however, has positioned us to manage COVID-19 as part of our regular operations – that being said, we must remain vigilant,” Price said.

On March 12, 2020, Albemarle County Executive Jeff Richardson issued a Declaration of Local Emergency in response to the COVID-19 Virus. This declaration followed then-Gov. Ralph Northam’s declaration of a state of emergency.

“Local government has several frontline services, including fire rescue, police, social work, and inspections. I want to sincerely thank the staff who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep our community moving forward,” Richardson said.

On that day, there were 18 documented COVID cases in the Commonwealth and 0 documented cases in Albemarle County. After 734 days of emergency operations, there have been 15,802 documented cases, 449 hospitalizations, and the loss of 147 lives due to the virus in Albemarle County.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].