In accordance with the delay that the state recently granted Richmond, city facilities and operations will not move into Phase 1 of reopening at this time. City offices and facilities will remain closed through May 31. Essential city services will continue, as they have throughout the closure. To view a list of those services, visit the city’s dedicated webpage at richmondgov.com/covid19 or  click here . (The list is available in  Spanish here. ) Interested parties should continue to check the essential city services list, as it is frequently updated with expanded services. Of course, until May 28 at the earliest, any service expansions will still follow the Governor’s guidelines to which the rest of the city is adhering.   City parks are still open to public use, though high-touch or high-density areas such as the Manchester Climbing Wall, playgrounds, sport courts, skate parks, athletic fields and dog parks are closed. Administrative offices, picnic s...

Mayor Stoney today announced that the city requested and has been granted a local delay of the state’s reopening plan. The city will move into Phase One no earlier than May 28.  “I want to thank Governor Northam for working with us,” said Mayor Stoney. “This step will make Richmond safer as we face this challenge together.” The city has experienced an increase in both positive cases and percent positivity in the past two weeks. Percent positivity speaks to the intersection of the spread of the virus and the recently enhanced testing capacity; the metric represents the percentage of people tested who have been positively diagnosed. The images below illustrate those trends.  The state provided the Stoney Administration with the information on local percent positivity on Thursday morning, which then allowed the city to formally request a delay. The mayor cited that data provided by the state as the key factor in applying for the delay.  “Right n...

“This budget is not the budget we first proposed, nor is it the budget we wanted, but it’s the budget we have to live with in light of these most difficult and challenging times. Amid the uncertainty of this pandemic, we must be prepared to make adjustments as we go, and we fully expect to do so in the coming months.  “To that end, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to the members of City Council and their staff for all their hard work, cooperation and collaboration with my team, as well as for their commitment, going forward, to meeting the needs of our residents and advance the city’s priorities in a manner that is fiscally prudent and equitable.”  ##

This week the Stoney administration announced the city and state have collaborated to roughly 40 thousand units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to underserved neighborhoods in Richmond.  At the outset of the pandemic, the Office of Mayor Levar Stoney reached out to the state concerned about the evident racial disparities in the infection and mortality rates associated with COVID-19. In response, the state has obtained 20 thousand face masks, 20 thousand bottles of hand sanitizers, and 10 thousand printed public health resources for the city to distribute in its communities most vulnerable to the disease.  The program aims to  increase equitable access to PPE to communities that may be most adversely impacted by COVID-19 in an effort to safeguard them against the virus. Data shows that people of color are dying from COVID-19 at disproportionate rates and that immigrant and undocumented populations are also suffering disparately.  “COVID-19 isn...

Véalo  el video de lanzamiento del esfuerzo Ciudad de Compasión en YouTube  aquí . Hoy en una conferencia de prensa, el alcalde Stoney declaró oficialmente a Richmond como una “Ciudad de Compasión”. Al hacerlo, Richmond se une a un movimiento global, la Carta por la Compasión, dedicado a liderar mediante la compasión al tratar a todos con dignidad y respeto, sin importar su raza, identidad de género, orientación sexual o estatus económico.   “Esta proclamación también es una invitación”, dijo el alcalde. “La compasión se trata de utilizar tus dones y talentos para ayudar a tu vecino y construir una comunidad más fuerte a través de ese acto. Todos podemos jugar un papel en este esfuerzo”, añadió. Este esfuerzo fue liderado por  Befriend , una nueva plataforma que apunta a crear nuevas amistades y conexiones a través de la ciudad en un esfuerzo por reconocer y derribar barreras socioeconómicas entre los richmondeses. Ha sido promovida por la Oficin...

Watch the launch video here At a press conference today, Mayor Stoney officially declared Richmond a “City of Compassion.” In doing so, Richmond joins a global movement, the Charter for Compassion, dedicated to leading with compassion through treating all people, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or economic status, with dignity and respect.  “This proclamation is also an invitation,” said the mayor. “Compassion is using your gifts and talents to lift up your neighbor, building a stronger community through that service. We can all play a role in this effort.” The effort was led by Befriend, a   new platform that aims to create friendships and connections throughout the city in an effort to recognize and break down socioeconomic barriers between Richmonders. It has been   championed by the Mayor’s Office as a vehicle to promote tangible, compassionate action during a challenging time for all. The mayor urged individuals and busines...

Las oficinas de la Ciudad de Richmond seguirán cerradas al público entre el lunes 4 y el domingo 17 de mayo. Esta continuación del cierre se hace como respuesta a la pandemia de COVID-19, con el fin de asegurar la salud y seguridad de los residentes de la ciudad, empleados y del público en general. El personal esencial seguirá trabajando, ya que se continuarán ofreciendo los servicios esenciales . Puede ver una lista de esos servicios  aquí. Puede visitar la página en Internet de la ciudad, que se encuentra  aquí , para encontrar información actualizada acerca de la respuesta que la ciudad le ha dado al COVID-19. Vaya también a la página  RVAStrong  para encontrar maneras de dar y/o recibir ayuda. ##