May 26, 2020
To the Fairfax County Community,

Today, Governor Northam announced that Northern Virginia will be joining the rest of the state in the first phase of reopening on Friday, May 29. My regional colleagues and I sent a second letter to him over the weekend with the metrics and data from our Northern Virginia Health Directors. The data shows that our region meets four of the significant criteria set by Governor Northam to reopen safely.

The criteria we have met are:

  • A downward trend of positive tests for over 14 days
  • A downward trend of hospitalizations for over 14 days
  • An increased capacity for testing
  • Sufficient hospital beds and ICU capacity

One of the two areas we don’t meet is contact tracing, but we are finalizing a contract this week to provide recruitment and staffing for the hundreds of contact tracers and investigators that we will need to increase our capacity. The goal is to have the team ready in June. The other area we don't meet is a sustainable supply of PPE. Although, we have sufficient supply for hospitals, we are still working to increase in other areas and hope the Governor will be able to help us do that. Our procurement team continues to work creatively and to monitor the supply chain to ensure we can make the needed purchases.

I share our community’s desire to reopen our businesses in the safest way possible. I am also committed to making sure our vulnerable communities are protected. Below, you will find updates on how we are meeting those needs. Fairfax County has made significant preparations and is ready to move to phase one safely.  We will continue to monitor our local statistics to ensure Fairfax County doesn’t see spikes in cases and be transparent with the public on our progress. You can find the County's case data here.

See below for the full May 26 edition. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website . If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.
Bottom line: What's Changed?

  1. Northern Virginia will be entering Phase I of Forward Virginia on Friday.
  2. Also starting Friday, there will be a mask requirement across Virginia.
Phase I: What does it mean?

  • All new restrictions can be found above.
  • The Governor has created a website that answers questions for businesses and residents.

Masking

  • Starting Friday everyone age 10 and above will be required to wear a mask under the following circumstances:
  • Inside all brick and mortar retail establishments, all personal care and grooming establishments, places where people congregate, and food and beverage establishments
  • On public transportation
  • When accessing state or local government services
  • Exceptions will include:
  • While eating, drinking, or exercising
  • If one has trouble breathing or is unable to remove the mask without help 
  • If one’s health conditions prohibit wearing a face covering
  • The Virginia Department of Health shall have authority to enforce this Order.
  • How are we ensuring vulnerable communities have masks?
  • Unfortunately, long-term care facilities still do not have a sustainable supply of PPE. It is a priority of the state and the County to continue to help build those supplies.
  • The Fairfax County Health Department is asking for the help of the community in donating fabric masks to support the County's nonprofit providers and the low-income clients they serve.
  • Working with the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia and the Korean Community Center, today my office collected over 6000 masks. Over the coming days we will be working to distribute them to our most vulnerable communities. See the photo below.
Testing in Fairfax County

  • The Fairfax County Health Department does not evaluate patients or collect specimens for commercial testing. The County helps to facilitate testing.
  • The Health Department aggregates testing data from area health providers. We have greatly improved the County's testing capacity. In early March, we had about 350 tests performed a week. The week of May 3, we had about 7,000.
  • The majority of COVID-19 testing is limited to those who are showing symptoms. If you have symptoms, we encourage you to see a health care provider and follow the steps here.
  • How are we ensuring vulnerable communities are tested?
  • Last weekend, we had temporary testing sites in Bailey's Crossroads and Annandale, with the focus of doing outreach to the communities who live there. More sites to come.
  • We work with community partners like ADAMS and Culmore Clinic to expand their capacity of testing.
  • The Directory of Health Safety Net Providers lists all the community health safety net providers for those who do not have insurance or cannot afford health care.
  • The Health Department has an outreach team working with the County's multicultural communities to get the word out.
  • What are my other options?
  • Your doctor or health care provider may offer testing. Some clinics offering tests can be found here.
  • Inova has three Respiratory Illness Clinics to evaluate all patients with respiratory illness symptoms. If you meet COVID-19 criteria they will test you. Clinic locations can be found here, however all Inova hospitals and emergency rooms are a resource for those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
  • More information on testing in Fairfax can be found here.
  • Governor Northam launched a new online risk-assessment tool for Virginians to check their symptoms and connect with health care resources.

Other County Work

  • Coordinated Services Planning connects residents with the resources they need. This includes everything from food assistance, health care, financial assistance (including housing payments), shelter, and more.
  • You can call Monday-Friday: 703-222-0880.
  • Anyone can access this phone line. County staff does not ask questions around a person’s immigration status, unless you are seeking a type of assistance, such as Medicaid, where there is a legal or regulatory requirement for us to ask about this. We keep your information confidential, including any documents you submit. We do not share this information outside of CSP. Fairfax County and our nonprofit partners are committed to providing basic needs assistance regardless of immigration status. 
  • $20 million went to Fairfax County's non-profit partners that support basic needs. That money was officially transferred today.
  • $25 million has been allocated to the Fairfax RISE program to provide grants to small businesses and nonprofits.
  • Housing support:
  • From March 1-May 22: 816 households/cases were assisted with $686,432.84 of housing financial assistance provided.
  • During April and March, the Department of Housing and Community Development waived over $13,000 in fees for late rental payments for renters in Fairfax County owned affordable housing units.
  • Shelters:
  • As of May 19, 191 individuals have moved to shelter in three hotels for isolation, quarantine, and protection.
  • More rooms have been identified for use in the north and south County areas.
  • In addition to sheltering homeless individuals, the hotel rooms are also now being used for sheltering clients of the Community Services Board, the Department of Family Services, and families and individuals referred by Healthworks of Northern Virginia and Neighborhood Health, that have been affected by the pandemic. 
  • Food distribution:
  • FCPS continues to provide meals to students and their families via pick up and bus routes.
  • Meals on Wheels is providing delivery for senior center and adult day health care participants. It is also coordinating with older adult County housing facilities.
  • All food resources can be found here.
  • Other resources such as health care, lodging, and senior store hours can be found here.

Anything else to know?

  • Reopening does not mean we are free of COVID-19. There are still restrictions in place.
  • We ask you to continue to wash your hands (using hand sanitizer if you aren't able), sneeze and cough into your sleeve, social distance, and wear a mask.
  • These simple measures will slow the virus and protect you, your family and friends, and your community.
Health
Common Health Questions:

  • People with COVID-19 have a wide range of symptoms reported - ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. You might experience:
  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Chills, repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste and smell
  • Continue to follow the health guidelines:
  • Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer if that isn't an option (especially when in public places)
  • Cough and sneeze into your sleeve
  • Don't touch your face
  • Social distance
  • What it means to social distance, self-isolate, and quarantine.
  • The CDC recommends wearing non-medical masks to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is now required in Virginia.
  • The New York Times (access to COVID-19 content is free) spoke with infectious disease experts, aerosol scientists, and microbiologists to find out if COVID-19 can land on your clothing, hair, shoes, and mail.

Resources:

  • Fairfax County Health Department
  • To view the number of cases in Fairfax County this page is updated at noon daily.
  • Visit the County site on COVID-19, Health Department Website, and see their FAQs.
  • To view multilingual health materials visit the County's Language Portal.
  • Sign up for text message alerts: text FFXCOVID to 888777. Para inscribirse, textear FFXCOVIDESP a 888777.
  • Call the Health Department from 9:00 am - 7 pm weekdays and 9:30 am - 5 pm on weekends: 703-267-3511
  • Email: [email protected]. This account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8 am - 8 pm.
  • Inova has a helpful FAQ.
As we have more information to share, my office and Fairfax County Government will continue to update residents.

Thank you for your support and patience as we work to manage this challenging, complex, and rapidly evolving situation.

Jeffrey C. McKay
Contact the Office

[email protected] | 703.324.2321 |