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Va. ABC stores to adjust opening hours as employees impacted by COVID-19

The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) will be adjusting opening hours to noon at the 395 stores around the commonwealth, as exposures among employees makes operations more difficult, the authority said Thursday.

Virginia ABC said the change will allow its reduced workforce to better serve customers.

“Like other retailers affected by pandemic-related staffing shortages, we are modifying our store hours to reduce the need to close stores because of employee quarantines,” said Virginia ABC CEO Travis Hill. “Opening at noon meets the needs of the majority of our customers, most of whom prefer to shop in the afternoon.”

Store closing hours are unchanged.

While ABCs have implemented safety measures, such as masking among employees, regular cleaning and plexiglass dividers at counters, the authority is requesting that all customers wear masks for their own protection and the safety of employees.

Stores are also offering curbside pickup or home delivery. Orders can be placed online.

Va. health dept. improves nursing home inspection backlog, reforms sanction criteria for facilities

Stories of neglect in care or unsanitary living situations have plagued several of Virginia’s nursing home facilities in recent years and data backs up a lapse in oversight by state agencies.  With reform efforts underway, the Virginia Department of Health officials said they aim to adopt sanction criteria by the end of the year to rein in bad actors and get troubled facilities back on track.  As of July, 58% of Virginia’s nursing homes were overdue for inspections and 68 of Virginia’s 289 nursing homes were found to have serious deficiencies, according to ProPublica. Several of the state’s flagged facilities with numerous deficiencies also had high staffing turnover rates.  The issue has been salient among various healthcare spaces, including VDH. 
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