Update: City of Staunton COVID-19 response

Voting Update

The Electoral Board will meet by electronic communications meeting to discuss the May 5 election on Wednesday, April 8 at 10 a.m. You can listen to the meeting on Comcast channel 7 or the City’s streaming website (treaming.ci.staunton.va.us:8000/;). Topics to be covered include the May 5, 2020 election and absentee ballot processing.

Important dates for the May 5, 2020 election:

• Deadline to register to vote or update your current registration is April 13.
• Last day to apply for an absentee ballot online, by fax, or by is 5 p.m. on April 28.

Shelburne Student Region 3 Winner in VML’s “If I Were Mayor” Contest

Shelburne seventh grader Caity Campbell was named the Region 3 winner of the Virginia Municipal League’s If I Were Mayor contest.  The contest drew over 1,000 entries from across the state.  The challenge for the student was to define a local problem, solicit solutions from at least three community members, decide which, if any, of the solutions they should use, and then outline what they would do about the problem.  Caity’s essay, along with the other winning essays, is available to read online at https://www.vml.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/2020WinningEssays.pdf.

Staunton Farmers’ Market to Offer Modified Market

In this new modified market format, customers can pre-order products from participating vendors and pick them up at the Wharf Parking Lot between 8 and 10 a.m. on Saturday mornings starting April 18.  Visit www.stauntonfarmersmarket.org to read the applicable rules, and see a list of participating vendors and their contact information.

Salvation Army Blessing Bags

For those who are in need, the Salvation Army has prepared “blessing bags” that are either filled with food, toiletries or baby items.  The Salvation Army regularly provides toiletries, food, clothes, utility and rental assistance for those in need.  To find out more, call 540.885.8157.

CDC Recommends Using Cloth Masts to Help Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

To learn how to make cloth face coverings, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.