March 31, 2020
To the Fairfax County Community,

Tomorrow is Census Day and to recognize this, I wanted to remind everyone to take five minutes to fill it out. It can be done online, by phone, or by mail and you can l earn how to respond here.

It is imperative that everyone is counted. The number of people who fill out the census influences federal funding, representation in Congress, Richmond and the Board of Supervisors, and investment in our County generally.

See below for the full March 31 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.
Governor's Stay-at-Home order

  • Effective immediately through June 10. Read the Executive Order here.
  • All Virginia residents are directed to remain at home.
  • Individuals may leave for the reasons listed here.
  • It also allows for services permitted in last week's Executive Order Fifty-Three (EO 53). Read the FAQ here.
  • All public and private in-person gatherings of more than ten individuals are prohibited with the exceptions of:
  • Businesses not required to close in EO 53.
  • Gatherings of family in the same residence.
  • When not at home, you must maintain at least six feet of space between any other person (with the exception of family, household members, or caretakers).
  • Fairfax County will remain open to business from a distance, but will reevaluate other closures to be sure they are in line with the Governor's order.

Board of Supervisors Budget Committee Meeting

  • You can see the agenda and meeting materials here and soon watch the meeting here.
  • FY2021 Budget
  • The pandemic is likely to have a significant impact on the County’s revenue streams in FY 2020 and FY 2021 because of impacts on revenue sources like sales tax and personal property taxes.
  • County agencies have been directed to limit expenses to those of a critical nature.
  • Staff will provide an updated budget recommendation on April 7 and the County will be providing ways in which residents can give feedback.
  • FY2020 Budget Third Quarter Review
  • This review is done yearly to make adjustments to the remaining portion of the fiscal year.     
  • This year, the package includes only critical funding items with a balance of $11.3 million recommended to be set aside in a reserve for the coronavirus pandemic.
  • This reserve will be utilized to fund necessary spending requirements resulting from the pandemic, as well as to offset potential revenue losses.
  • Coordinated Services Planning (part of Health and Human Services) connects community members in a multilingual call center to community nonprofits.
  • Residents who call are often fixed/low income, have lost wages or employment, or their expenses exceed income.
  • They are seeking varying assistance, including but not limited to, food, health, hygiene, and youth programming.
  • Need help, call 703-222-0880, TTY 711
  • Proposed microloan program
  • Fairfax County is working on a loan program to help small businesses within Fairfax cover gaps in support.
  • The purpose will be to aid businesses immediately get by, pivot focus, and prepare to restart operations following the crisis.
  • Information on how to apply coming soon.

Fairfax County Animal Shelter

  • Adoptions have been paused as the animal shelter determines how to proceed safely. There will be an update next Monday.
  • Other programs and services have been paused as well. Read more.

Fairfax County Libraries

  • All libraries are closed until further notice.
  • All library locations now have exterior wireless internet access.
  • Access is in parking lots from 6 am - 10 pm, seven days a week.

Courts

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
  • The CDC recommends that only people who have symptoms of COVID-19 wear face masks. This guidance is being revisited however and we will update you as official guidance changes.
  • 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.

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 |