April 14, 2020
To the Fairfax County Community,

Thank you to all who tweeted questions for today's Twitter Q+A. Even without a Twitter account, you can read the answers here. I will also try to answer more of the questions already asked this week, so stay tuned.

The Board also met electronically for the first time (you can see a photo of the meeting below). It went well and I thank our hard working staff who put this together.

See below for the full April 14 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.
Board Meeting Overview
Please see the full meeting agenda here . You will soon be able to watch the meeting here .

1. Small Business Microloan Fund

What happened? The Board authorized a microloan fund in which small businesses can apply for loans of up to $20,000 at 0% interest.

Why? Businesses that employ less than 50 people make up 94% of Fairfax County businesses. There is federal funding going to small businesses and these microloans will serve second to those federally granted by the Small Business Administration. It fills a gap for businesses that might not qualify, for example due to credit history and immigration status.

Anything else? Learn more here and how you can apply here.

2. Board of Supervisors Meeting Calendar

What changed? The Board approved to add meeting dates on April 28, 29, and 30 dedicated to budget public hearings. The resolution also added a regular Board meeting on May 12 to take a final vote on the budget. These meetings will all be conducted electronically.

Can I still testify on the budget? Yes, you can testify via submitted video, written testimony, or phone call. Learn more here.

3. Developmental Approval Extensions

Background? Both the Board and County staff have received requests from homeowners and professional organizations to extend plan and permit validity already approved by the Department of Land Development Services. LDS finds many of these permits are set to expire. The LDS Director is able to extend approvals on a case by case basis. The Board can streamline this process to extend all approved-items.

What happened? The Board voted to extend the validity of all expiring Director-approved items until 60 days following the Board mandated COVID-19 emergency ends.

4. Admissions Tax

What happened? The Board had a public hearing to consider the establishment of an Admissions Tax. Following the hearing, the Board voted to reject this tax and thus eliminated it from the FY2021 Budget.

Why? Due to the impact of COVID-19 on our community members and businesses, the Board felt it was not appropriate to implement this tax at this time.
Other News
Long-Term Care Facilities

  • The Fairfax County Health Department is in contact with long-term care facilities before a case of COVID-19 occurs to reduce risk.
  • If a case of COVID-19 does occur, engagement and support is ramped-up to reduce the risk of infection being transmitted.
  • An experienced communicable disease physician or nurse provides guidance to the long-term care facility on issues like isolation of infected persons and contacts and recommendations for protective equipment of staff.
  • A rapid response team is dispatched to the facility to provide training on best PPE use.
  • A nurse also visits the facility daily to identify additional needs, ensure that measures to prevent infections are being rigorously applied, and to review whether anyone with symptoms needs to be tested.
  • Facilities are also asked to communicate transparently with residents and their families.
  • Read more here.

Health Alert Toolkit

  • Every household in Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and the towns of Herndon and Vienna, are receiving a COVID-19 toolkit in the mail.
  • It is important that you open, read, and retain this document as a household reference during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The health alert includes actions that must be taken by each resident in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community: 
  • Instructions on what to do if you are sick. 
  • Actions to take if you are a close contact of someone who is sick.
  • Details on how to identify and talk to close contacts who are at risk for illness if you are sick.

Language Resources

Health
Common Health Questions:

  • Not every case of coronavirus has symptoms, but those that do may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Some of the symptoms you might experience are below:
  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • 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. Read here for more and to learn how to make your own.

Resources:

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 |