My office continues to promote the Slow Down! campaign and yard signs are available. If you would like a Slow Down! sign, please come to 9002 Burke Lake Road to collect one for yourself and your neighbors.

Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about efforts to promote safe streets, please visit the Fairfax Safe Streets webpage.

On Tuesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky announced that the dominant strain of COVID-19 circulating in the United States is the BA.5 variant. BA.5 currently accounts for 65% of active cases across the United States. This variant is both more severe and long-lasting than the previous subvariants of the Omicron variant earlier this year.

If you begin to feel ill, please take either a PCR or at-home test, self-isolate at home, and wear a mask when in contact with others. Testing options are available below. Additionally, refamiliarize yourself with the Slow the Spread Guidance from the Fairfax County Health Department. If you test positive, stay home regardless of your vaccination status. Avoid contact with others in your household and do not share personal items. Use a separate bedroom and bathroom, and improve ventilation, if possible.

Supervisor James Walkinshaw

A public hearing on recommendations to the Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process is scheduled for Tuesday, July 19, at 3:30 p.m. in the Government Center Auditorium. The SSPA process allows anyone to propose site-specific land use changes to the Comprehensive Plan, the county’s guiding document for land use and development decisions. An evaluation of the SSPA process took place from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022, and the recommended changes were published in a detailed report in May.  Learn how to view the public hearing and submit public hearing testimony. View the full list of recommended changes to the SSPA process and learn more about the evaluation process on the SSPA website.

Supervisor Walkinshaw is excited to be hosting the annual Braddock Nights Concert and Children’s Arts in the Parks Series! Every event includes a raffle where two audience members can win a Summer Entertainment Series t-shirt! Arrive by the start of the event to get a raffle ticket. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the Braddock District office at (703) 425-9300 or Irma.Mejia-Lewis@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Postal Service (USPS) has also begun offering a vision impaired accessible COVID-19 at-home test. Please note that the link for these USPS accessible tests is different from the original COVID-19 at-home test ordering page. All individuals remain eligible to receive up to 24 at-home test kits, three orders of 8 tests, through the USPS.

If you have already received test kits in the past and they are out of date, please read the recent update from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has advised that some COVID-19 tests may be eligible for use beyond their initial expiration, though guidance varies from brand to brand. Braddock residents are encouraged to take advantage of these resources as we continue to monitor COVID-19 cases across the District and Fairfax County. You can also set an appointment for a PCR test at one of the pre-existing Fairfax County Health Department Clinics by calling (703) 324-7404.

In 2020, Congress designated the new 9-8-8 dialing code to be operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline starting on Saturday, July 16. Providing 24/7, free, and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, the Lifeline helps thousands of people overcome crisis situations every day. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sees 988 as a first step towards a transformed crisis care system in America. If you need support prior to the Saturday start date, please call or text the existing lifeline number at 1-800-273-8255, or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website to chat with a counselor.

Today, there are more options than ever before for older adults who need help remaining in their homes or for those who can no longer live alone safely. Gone are the days where an institution, like a nursing home, was the only alternative. The options for care can be overwhelming and confusing, but with a little education, families and caretakers can help their loved ones find a solution that best suits them, including those that allow them to age in place. Join this webinar on Wednesday, July 20, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. for a brief synopsis of the Fairfax County Home Based Care program, the Virginia Medicaid waiver program, and the Auxiliary Grant program option for Assisted Living Facility placement.

Do you know someone whose work is worth celebrating? If you know organizations and people who:

Nominate them for an Environmental Excellence Award by this Friday, July 15.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department would like to remind residents how important it is to have working smoke alarms, escape plans, and a designated meeting place in case of a fire. Closing your interior doors is also important for your safety. Closed doors can reduce fire growth, limit damage to your home, keep temperatures down, and can even save your life if you become trapped.

If there is a fire in your home but you cannot implement your home escape plan to get out, a closed door could make a life-saving difference. Watch this video with your kids to teach them the importance of shutting interior and bedroom doors before going to sleep.

The Library is now using the MessageBee service, which also allows for better monitoring of open emails and click-thrus.

On Saturday, July 16, 2022, there will be a comic book workshop at the Burke Centre Library's Burke Centre Meeting Room from 10:00–11:30 a.m. 12–18 year-olds are welcome to learn as local self-pubished zinesters share how to get started making your own mini-comics books. Supplies provided. Register here.

Remember to sign up for National Night Out if you have not already! This in-person event on August 2 with the Fairfax County Police Department provides an opportunity for officers and the communities they protect to come together.

Complete this form to register for the event (if you registered with the NNO organization directly, you still need to register with this form. They do not share your personal information). If there are any questions, feel free to reach out to the Crime Prevention Officer of your local police station.

If you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, effective treatment is available that can prevent illness from becoming worse leading to hospitalization and death.

If you tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed , it is important to take the steps recommended by the Fairfax County Health Department to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your family and in our community.

Check the most up-to-date COVID figures at the Virginia Department of Health website.

Please be sure to check the Fairfax County Health Department’s vaccine page and the Emergency Information Blog frequently, as information will be updated there regularly.

On Monday, a news release from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced the present caseload of 5 confirmed Monkeypox infections in the Commonwealth. Northern Virginia continues to only have 3 recorded positive cases as the regional caseload remains low. Over the past few weeks, the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) has received calls from roughly a dozen individuals seeking vaccinations for the virus. The limited vaccine doses received to this point have been provided solely to people with a known exposure or a confirmed case. However, starting tomorrow, the Monkeypox vaccine will be available to Fairfax Health District residents at high risk, using the very limited amount of vaccine FCHD has received from VDH. This new initiative will be expanded as additional vaccines from VDH are made available.