COVID-19 Updates

Elective Medical Procedures Can Resume
Governor Ralph Northam announced that hospitals and dentists will be allowed to resume non-emergency procedures as of midnight Thursday, April 30. In March, elective medical procedures were banned under Public Health Order Number 2, signed by Governor Northam and State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver. This was done to preserve personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to allow hospitals to focus resources on COVID patients. Read more. 

Expansion of Relief for Student Loan Borrowers 
Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia has secured relief options for more than 200,000 Virginians with privately held student loans. The payment relief is the result of a new initiative by Virginia and several other states to work with the major private student loan servicers to expand on protections for federal student loan borrowers through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Read more. 

2020 Census

COVID-19 has changed the way our whole world operates and that includes the 2020 Census. For a full breakdown of the latest changes to the 2020 Census visit https://engageva.org/census-2020/. 

Remember, there are 3 ways to fill out your Census questionnaire this year: 

• Fill out your questionnaire online here: https://www.my2020Census.gov,
• Fill out your questionnaire via phone by calling the Census Bureau at (844) 330-2020 or,
• Fill out your questionnaire by mail when the 3rd reminder is sent with the paper questionnaire and postage ready envelope. 

Need language assistance? Click here to go to the Census Bureau’s website for Language Support in 59 additional languages.

Share this message with your friends to make sure they are counted too! #2020Census #CounMeInVA 

Here are some resources to help:

• Explore a sample census form and learn about the kind of questions that will be asked on the 2020 census.
• Make a plan to participate online. This is the first year that households will be able to take the census online. Households will be able to complete the online questionnaire starting in mid-March. Don’t fret, here’s a video that walks you through the process.
• Or make a plan to participate by mail. In mid-March, households will begin receiving official U.S. Census Bureau mailings with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 census. Simply follow these guidelines and mail your form back.
• Participate in the census using the language that is the most comfortable for you. As households in the United States speak a variety of languages, the Census Bureau is providing multiple ways to help households respond in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and more.
• Make sure the census is accessible for you. People with disabilities have historically been hard to count within the census, and so there are a number of new and improved resources to make the process more accessible.

The census is completely confidential. The census is a count of everyone in the United States, no matter your immigration status, and your information is completely confidential. Read all about it here.

Updates

Upcoming May Elections Postponed in Response to COVID-19 

Gov. Northam invoked his statutory authority to postpone the May local elections by two weeks, from May 5, 2020, to May 19, 2020. Elections are scheduled in 56 localities across the Commonwealth. The June primary elections from June 9, 2020, to June 23, 2020. Read more. 

Voting absentee is the safest and healthiest way to vote during a pandemic. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot to vote in the May local election is Tuesday, May 12, 2020. You can apply for an absentee ballot here: https://bit.ly/absenteeva or by downloading and printing a request form at https://bit.ly/absentee-form and returning the completed and signed form to their local General Registrar’s office by mail, fax, or scanned attachment to an email. 

Upcoming Events

3 Techniques to Own The Room with Zoom

May 5th – Whether you run a small business, work for a bigger one or are from any walk of life, field or sector, you’ve seen people present virtually who are just super effective. Where did they learn to do that? You’re invited to a special session that goes beyond just Zoom features to advanced tips on making the virtual room interactive. Watch your own virtual presence go to even more ninja levels with techniques (shared in interactive fashion) by Own The Room founder Bill Hoogterp with a panel of your peers as guests. Register here! 

Driving Towards Privacy Protection: Defending DMV Data

May 6th – The webinar will highlight key examples of what advocates around the country have successfully done and are doing to address information-sharing and the attacks on driver data privacy by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Focusing on best practices, our expert panelists will speak to different legislative, administrative, organizing, and legal advocacy strategies to challenge information-sharing and threats to driver’s data. In addition to providing a brief overview of how information is shared or accessed by DHS and ICE, this webinar will equip advocates with some tools and ideas to address the problem and to take steps in their states to limit DMV-related data-sharing. Register here!

Remote Worker Productivity Tips & Tricks with Zoom Phone

May 7th – Many of us have become remote workers recently, although all of us at Zoom love video for collaboration, we also know that a lot of our daily communication takes place using other technologies like phones.

Join this webinar and learn how to use Zoom Phone, Zoom’s cloud phone system to increase your productivity while you are working from home. Josh Stanley, a Zoom Phone Product Specialist, will share his best tips and tricks to leveraging Zoom Phone as a remote worker. Register here!