Please use the following trusted resources to get up-to-date and factual information about the disease, its spread, and the impact on travel and hospitality. Many of these pages include links to additional resources.
Visit our other COVID-19 resource pages: The Latest News, Ways to Support Virginia Businesses & Employees, Job & Employment Resources, Hotel & Lodging Resources, Virginia Restaurant Promise
Reopening Resources - General Information
- Food Safety Checklist - FDA
- ServSafe Reopening Training - free!
- Sysco Reopening Resources
Reopening Resources - PPE, Cleaning Supplies, Maintenance, Support
VRLTA has been receiving many inbound emails with offers of PPE, and we've tried to sort through to find the best options for our members and the rest of the industry to source these items prior to reopening. Here are the best resources we found:
- Sysco - currently in stock: masks, gloves in a variety of sizes, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, surface sanitizers, and bleach - contact your sales rep for the latest product availability and pricing - Reopening Resource Guide
- PFG - contact your sales rep for the latest product availability
- Ecolab - Has a variety of cleaning and sanitizing products available (list for hospitality and list for foodservice); Contact Carey Friedman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 804.840.3943
- Safeguard Promotional Products - facemasks and shields, hand sanitizer, gloves, gowns, acrylic shields (for checkout stands) - visit https://www.safeguardjack.com/ or contact Anne Meagher Watson at 804.355.2679 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- NEW! Margin Edge offers help with automated invoice processing, inventory management, food cost management, and more. The company is offering their software free until September to anyone who wants to try it. To learn more, contact Jill Fountain at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 540.287.3881.
- EMR - Now through June 30, any new service call (existing EMR restaurant customers and new restaurant customers), regardless of their previous labor and travel rate for kitchen equipment service, they will receive $99/hr labor, and $99 travel. Also, the company has a maintenance list for closed kitchens here. Visit www.emrco.com/locations for more info.
BMS Direct Inc - for printing of restaurant placemats and menus, including washable menus coming soon! VRLTA members get discounted pricing. Visit this link for more information or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inquiries.
Push Operations - Push Operations is a labor management solution for restaurants. Push is now offering restaurants its employee health pre-screening software. The software allows contactless temperature checks for employees, customizable pre-health check questions to employees, and effortless communication to employees who’ve worked with a team member that has Covid-19. This service is complimentary for VRLTA members! More information: https://pushoperations.com/covid-19-features/ or Tommy Truong at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 778.858.6325.
Open Table - Their Open Door program, starting this month, offers new solutions and reduced or eliminated fees. Learn more here.
Locality Specific Information
- Henrico County - Temporary Outdoor Dining Application
- Hanover County - Outdoor Seating Guidance
- Town of Ashland - Safety Enhancement Business Grant Program & Outdoor Dining Enhancements
Restaurant Specific Information
- National Restaurant Association Business Continuity Resources
- Resources from VRLTA partner Ecolab, including two fact sheets (here and here), infection prevention guidelines, and a powerpoint with useful information.
- Virginia Department of Health Tips and Information for Food Establishments
- VRLTA publication: How to get started with delivery in Virginia
- On Premise Alcohol To Go Webinar slides, presented by E&J Gallo Winery
Travel Related Information
- Virginia Tourism Corporation's COVID-19 page - also can sign up for their weekly industry update (Mondays at 3 p.m.)
Hotel Related Information - also see this page
- The American Hotel & Lodging Association's page on the disease, including talking points
- Enroll in STR's Hotel Survey - receive the report for free
General Information
- The Center for Disease Control's site for information, including travel guidance and updates on related issues
- A page from the CDC with specific guidance for businesses
- Guidance from OSHA on preparing workplaces for COVID
- World Health Organization's Explanatory Video and Resources Page
- World Health Organization - Getting Your Workplace Ready
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Coronavirus Resource Page
- US Department of Labor COVID-19 resource page
- Johns Hopkins Global Cases Map
Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Resources: Taking Care of Yourself and Others
The recent weeks have been an unprecedented time for our country, for businesses, and for employees. The uncertainty surrounding the tourism and hospitality industries is adding stress and impacting mental and physical well-being on top of the regular stressors of jobs in these industries. Job losses, no matter which side you're on, take a mental toll. Financial, safety, and other worries add to the burden owners, managers, and front-line employees are feeling. Here are some resources that you can use yourself and share with staff. During this time of crisis, we have also experienced communities pulling together for support, help, and relief. Know that VRLTA is here to support YOU, our members, and others.
Common signs of distress may include:
- Feelings of numbness, disbelief, anxiety or fear.
- Changes in appetite, energy, and activity levels.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares and upsetting thoughts and images.
- Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes.
- Worsening of chronic health problems.
- Anger or short-temper.
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.
Ways to take care of yourself:
- Help your family and others
- Take breaks from the news and social media
- Take care of your physical self - eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, avoid drugs and alcohol, meditate
- Connect with others to find the positive
- Find others to talk to about what you're feeling
Useful resources on stress management:
- The CDC's page with suggestions on how to manage stress, signs of issues, and more.
- Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks, a publication from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- The CDC's suggested ways to take care of your emotional health
- Taking care of your behavioral health fact sheet - tips for quarantine and isolation
- Active Minds offers mental health resources, including webinars, for young adults, parents, remote workers and more
If you or someone you know needs help:
- SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline, 800 985 5990, a 24/7/365 helpline to provide immediate crisis counseling (services provided in English, Spanish, and for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline 800 799 7233
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800 273 TALK
- Help Starts Here - find a therapist or social worker
- Alcoholics Anonymous Virginia
- Ben's Friends - Ben’s Friends is the food and beverage industry support group offering hope, fellowship, and a path forward to professionals who struggle with substance abuse and addiction. Daily Zoom meetings at 1 pm ET
- Sanvello Health, Inc., a leading provider of digital and tele-mental health solutions to individuals, businesses and payers, is offering free premium access to its digital care delivery platform. Sanvello Health is part of UnitedHealth Group. To activate free premium access, anyone can download Sanvello for free from the App Store or Google Play and create an account to begin using the strategies, tools, and peer support.
- UnitedHealth Group is also offering free emotional support for all, any time at 866-342-6892. This 24/7 Optum Help Line is staffed by professionally trained mental health experts. It is free of charge and open to anyone.
- Mentalhealth.gov - here's a FAQ page on mental health coverage
- Virginia mental/behavioral health information
- Veterans Crisis Line - run by the Department of Veterans Affairs
Here are some articles you may find useful:
- 8 Ways to Find Free or Low-Cost Mental Health Services
- Finding and paying for mental health services
- 4 Ways to Support Your Mental Health While Unemployed
- A public radio story on the move for insurance companies to cover mental health services via telehealth
- A CNN opinion piece from former Ohio Governor John Kasich - America's mental health Covid-19 recovery needs to start now - includes links to videos about taking care of your mental health and handling the isolating effect of the virus
- Some strategies from the Mayo Clinic
- 60 Digital Resources for Mental Health
