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Free CIRCULATION 12,000 July 30, 2021 COVID-19 Cases, Accomack and Northampton Counties COVID-19 Delta Variant Identified April 23 - July 23, 2021 on Eastern Shore, Cases Rise By Carol Vaughn ed,” he said in an email. The Eastern Shore for the past six There currently are four variants of weeks has been averaging around one concern in the United States. All four case per day of COVID-19, according to have been reported on the Eastern Shore. a health department official. The delta variant is now the most The health department is closely mon- common variant in the United States. It itoring an increase in cases seen over is thought to be 40% to 60% more trans- the past four days, said Jon Richardson, missible than the alpha variant, which chief operating officer of the Eastern itself is estimated to spread about 50% Shore Health District, on Monday. more easily than previous variants. As of Wednesday, the average had As of Friday, July 23, the Eastern risen to five new cases per day. Shore had reported 13 cases of the al- The delta variant of the virus has pha variant; two of the beta variant; Source: Virginia Department of Health been identified among cases on the one of the gamma variant; and three of Eastern Shore, which Richardson said the delta variant. New COVID-19 cases in Accomack and one death. is not surprising. A variant of the virus that causes have been increasing for the past 30 Of the total cases, seven were people “The vaccines are still measuring COVID-19 is considered to be concern- days, according to the Virginia Depart- 19 or under; 10 were age 20-39; seven pretty effective against this variant, ing when it increases the risk to hu- ment of Health. The number of new cas- were age 40-59; four were age 60-79; which is good news. Given its higher man health, for example by spreading es in Northampton has been decreasing. and one was a person age 80 or over. level of transmissivity, the main con- more easily or causing more severe ill- Between June 20 and July 24, the Four of the cases involved Black in- cern would be amongst the unvaccinat- ness, among other factors. Eastern Shore reported 29 new cases (Continued on Page 4) Eastville Inn Tenants Face Uncertain Future as County Moves to Month-to-Month Lease By Stefanie Jackson “As an excellent tenant of the East- and fine dining fare in what the Kitch- for corporate events because it offers Louise Oliver, who runs a catering ville Inn and successful business own- en Sync website calls “inspired eastern more privacy than a restaurant. The business out of the historic Eastville er I would have expected to be treated shore dishes with an international flair.” inn’s most popular dining area is the Inn owned by Northampton County, with a modicum of respect.” Oliver, who is originally from Tasma- Glass Room, a dining room enclosed by a was surprised when she learned that Oliver has run her catering and week- nia, Australia, is accomplished in the glass wall and decorated, like the rest of the county was considering offering ly meal service, Kitchen Sync, out of the culinary arts. She has worked around the establishment, in the federalist colo- the lease to someone else to run a dif- first floor of the Eastville Inn for the last the globe as a private chef and a man- nial style of the late 1700s to mid-1800s. ferent type of business. six years, with the help of three regular ager for several large hospitality com- The Olivers attribute the success of She was even more surprised that part-time employees and her husband, panies. Her travels and experience lend Kitchen Sync in part to its alternate she first learned of the news from not Stuart Oliver, who has long-standing European and Asian influences to the business model, which stands out from a county official but the minutes of an family ties on the Eastern Shore. dishes she creates. Her employees also its predecessors. Eastville Town Council meeting. Louise Oliver has dozens of clients bring Mexican influences to the table. Previous businesses at the Eastville “My initial reaction when reading who order her pre-made meal items She has a long list of corporate cli- Inn have consisted mainly of restau- the Eastville Town Council minutes … at the beginning of every week, which ents, and more than 500 private cli- rants that eventually faltered and were was one of shock and disappointment are picked up or delivered every Fri- ents, for whom she caters both off- and closed, including a restaurant operated that I should be treated in such an un- day, ready to bake or freeze. The menu on-site. by Tim Abraham, of Cape Charles. professional manner …” Oliver said. changes every week, blending casual Clients often choose the Eastville Inn (Continued on Page 2) 2 • EASTERN SHORE POST • JULY 30, 2021 Eastville Inn The lease worked well for the Oliv- The June 23 ~ ~ ers, but after the initial lease expired, meeting min- (Continued From Front Page) it was renewed on an annual basis, the utes state that Abraham later found success when couple said. after the closed he opened the restaurant Tim’s Place, They were told the one-year lease session, Supervi- in Cape Charles, but it appeared that gave more “flexibility” to the county, sor John Coker running a restaurant out of the East- whose officials were concerned about made a motion ville Inn wasn’t meant to be, even for the amount of rehabilitation the struc- to terminate the the most aspiring entrepreneurs. ture still needed. Eastville Inn’s The Olivers noted aspects of the (The second floor of the Eastville lease Sept. 30, at Eastville Inn that are not conducive to Inn remains empty and unused, except the end of its cur- the restaurant business. for limited storage, and is stripped rent term, and The narrow, long kitchen is not con- down to the floors and framing, with “allow the tenant venient for servers delivering orders no walls, ceilings, furniture, fixtures, to lease the prop- to guests in the main dining room, but or working utilities.) erty on a month- the layout is ideal for preparing ca- A one-year lease agreement was not by-month basis if tered meals, Louise Oliver said. ideal for the Olivers, but they carried they so desire.” There is little to no parking at the on their business. The motion inn, and foot traffic in town is light. On a There was another unexpected turn was second- warm, sunny Friday afternoon, only one of events when the lease came up for ed by Supervi- The historic Eastville Inn on Courthouse Road has a person walked past the inn in nearly two renewal in October 2020, in the middle sor Oliver Ben- red sign out front that reads “Keep Calm, We Are Open- hours, she pointed out to a reporter. of the COVID-19 pandemic: Northamp- nett and passed ing Soon.” Submitted photo. The town’s main street, Courthouse ton wanted the Eastville Inn open for unanimously. Road, once was part of the main road lunch at least three days a week, pri- Through- of meals for a family or a pint of soup on the Shore, Stuart Oliver said. The marily to serve county employees. out their ordeal, Louise and Stuart Oli- for one person. construction of Route 13 divided ma- The Olivers reluctantly agreed to ver have been provided little explana- Stuart Oliver noted that even ny of the Shore’s small towns, and now the new lease terms. Louise Oliver tion or guidance, except for one meet- during the pandemic, the rent on the most traffic bypasses Eastville’s his- began planning and occasionally pur- ing with County Administrator Charlie Eastville Inn was paid in full and on toric courthouse green. chasing equipment she would need for Kolakowski. time every month. The Eastville Inn was built around preparing food to order. She kept tabs Kolakowski wrote in a Jul. 29 email He acknowledged that since Kitch- 1724 to serve travelers passing through on the COVID-19 pandemic through to the Eastern Shore Post, “The East- en Sync is not a restaurant, it gener- or stopping to do business at the the Virginia Department of Health. ville Inn is a unique and important as- ates few food and beverage taxes for Northampton County courthouse, which Oliver had settled on the opening date set. … It is also an old structure that the town of Eastville. However, he has been home to the oldest continuous of July 6 to serve lunch every Tuesday, will need to be maintained and will re- and his wife have maintained the inn, court records in the U.S. since 1632. Wednesday, and Thursday, allowing Fri- quire significant investment to keep it and their business has not caused any Similarly, the Eastville Inn is day to remain as the weekly pickup and operating. … The County will be ad- trouble and “serves the community thought to be the town’s oldest surviv- delivery day for her pre-made meals. vertising a Request for Proposals for well,” he said. ing business establishment. She displayed a sign on the front of the sale or long-term lease of the facil- Louise Oliver was recently notified The Eastville Inn operated through the the building announcing that Kitchen ity … to properly provide for the long that she will be permitted to lease the decades and centuries, but business dwin- Sync would be opening soon.