Virginia continues to see COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations fall. At the same time, the number of vaccinations administered is steadily rising. In light of these positive trends, Governor Ralph Northam announced this week that, effective Monday, March 1, he is easing some of the mitigation measures in place to slow the spread of the virus. Visit Forward Virginia if you would like more detailed information.

The new guidelines will be effective for at least one month and mitigation measures may be eased further if key health metrics continue to improve. Current guidelines for retail businesses, fitness and exercise, large amusement venues, and personal grooming services will remain in place. Individuals are strongly encouraged to continue teleworking if possible.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced this week that additional pharmacy networks are beginning to administer 26,000 COVID-19 vaccines to those age 65 and older as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership. This is on top of the 26,000 doses CVS Pharmacy Inc. received through the program, for a total of 52,000 additional vaccines.

Over the last few weeks, Chair Wheeler has participated in:

Tuesday, March 2

In-person speakers can sign up at the meeting.

The PWC Co-Responder Program (see Hometown Hero article below) began in November 2020. Made possible by BOCS's funding in the FY2021 budget, it is a collaborative effort between the Police Department and Community Services. the program consists of three police officers and one police lieutenant from the Police Department, as well as three clinicians and one clinical supervisor from Community Services. PWC is using the "embedded model," which pairs an Emergency Services Clinician with a Crisis Intervention Trained certified police officer in a marked police cruiser.

The primary responsibility of the program is to respond to calls, as a team, to de-escalate situations involving residents in mental health crisis and connect them with appropriate services in the community. Throughout the country, this type of collaboration has been shown to reduce inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations by connecting members of the community with the crisis resources and treatment they need.

At their February 16 meeting, the BOCS approved a Zoning Text Amendment to establish the Agritourism and Arts Overlay District (AAOD). This will create an area where agritourism and art-related businesses can integrate, while still maintaining the character of the County's rural areas.

Many of the uses that previously required a special permit are now being allowed without that. This can apply properties in the Rural Area zoned A-1 with 2 or more acres and all properties in the Development Area zoned A-1 with 20 Acres or more.

The innovative approach allows artists and business owners to occupy joint living and commercial space.

The new PWC Racial and Social Justice Commission (issue 37) invites you to participate in public comment time at their next meeting on March 18, at 6:30 pm in the Board Chambers at the James J. McCoart Administration Building. The BOCS created the Commission to examine the state of racial and social justice for people of color in policing, the provision of government services, and public education.

To contact the Commission:

Emailing [email protected] or call 703-792-4680

This week George Mason University announced the President’s Innovation Advisory Council, a powerhouse coalition of business executives and public sector leaders to help guide its tech-centric Arlington campus. Executive Director of Prince William County Department of Economic Development, Christina Winn, has been named to the council. You can read more about this exciting council and it's broad-ranging members from across the region here.

Congratulations to Andrea Hess for being named the 2020 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Behavioral Health Provider of the Year by the Virginia CIT Coalition. A standout member of PWC Community Services throughout her career as a behavioral health provider, Andrea has consistently gone above and beyond in meeting the needs of our community and community partners. In addition to this primary role, Andrea has demonstrated a commitment to the Virginia CIT, Greater Prince William Crisis Intervention Team (GPWCIT), local police departments, and the community in so many ways.

On February 17, the School Board reaffirmed its return to school dates for students in grades 4th through 12th who choose to attend in person. A snapshot of high-level details is below; you can learn more here. This builds upon the pre-K through third grade, 50 percent hybrid approach of attending two alternating days per week (T/Th or W/F as assigned by household), which began in November 2020 (issue 36).

On Saturday, February 20, the 15th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station successfully launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad located on Wallops Island. The Cygnus spacecraft was named the S.S. Katherine Johnson in honor of longtime Virginia resident and pioneering Black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and in celebration of Black History Month. If that name sounds familiar, it's because she was portrayed in the lead role in the 2016 film ‘Hidden Figures,’ based on the nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly with the same title. If you missed the movie (see it!), or even if you did but would like to learn more about Katherine's life and her amazing contributions, visit her NASA biography page. You can learn more about the mission of her namesake here.