State of Local Emergency Declared
The Town of Ashland has joined with its fellow government partners in the Richmond region to declare a local state of emergency due to the Coronavirus, called COVID-19.
The state of emergency designation gives public safety agencies more flexibility to work seamlessly with surrounding jurisdictions, streamlines procedures to enable Ashland to procure necessary supplies in a more efficient manner and gives the localities access to state and federal emergency funding.
A joint press conference on March 13 featured speakers from Hanover, Chesterfield, Henrico, Goochland, the City of Richmond and Henrico/Richmond Health District Director Danny Avula expressing their determination to work together to protect the health and welfare of the region’s residents.
The Town of Ashland’s leaders join with their colleagues in urging residents to avoid gatherings of 10 people or more and change their normal social interactions to avoid doing things like shaking hands. On a personal level, continue to minimize touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
“These are acts of prevention and compassion and preparation,” Avula said. A primary goal of all regional partners is to “flatten the curve” and reduce the number of people affected by the virus so that the number of cases at one time does not overwhelm local health care systems.
At the time of declaration, no changes are anticipated in the services offered by the Town of Ashland government. Regional public safety efforts are being directed by the Central Virginia All Hazards Incident Management Team.
The Town’s website at www.ashlandva.gov is regularly updated with information on COVID1- issues of importance, along with the Town’s Facebook feed. To get email updates subscribe to Ashland 311 on the homepage at www.ashlandva.gov