For Immediate Release: June 6, 2020
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) remind everyone that you are safest at home except for essential trips such as food purchases and medical care. If you must leave your home, wear a cloth face covering around others and keep at least 6 feet apart from others whenever possible. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities (RPCA) will offer modified full-day summer programs at several Alexandria locations for children ages 6-12. Due to limited capacity based on physical distancing requirements, priority will be given to Alexandria families who need financial assistance and essential workers who have limited options for childcare. Registration for after-school programs for the 2020-2021 school year is suspended until at least mid-July, and the new Out of School Time Power-On Program pre-registration process for families who qualify for financial assistance will also be rescheduled. RPCA at Home virtual programming options are also available for youth and adults with free on-demand programs and classes.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published data on COVID-19 cases in skilled nursing facilities. These data follow the recent publication of rules requiring nursing homes to provide prompt notification of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases; disclose mitigation strategies; provide cumulative updates at least weekly; and protect individuals’ privacy.
The CMS rule applies only to skilled nursing facilities that participate in Medicare and/or Medicare programs; it does not apply to assisted living facilities or to skilled nursing facilities not participating in Medicare or Medicaid. As a result, not all Alexandria long-term care facilities are listed on the CMS database. Neither AHD nor the Virginia Department of Health can verify the accuracy of the information reported by facilities or published by CMS. For more information, including what AHD is doing to help protect the residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, visit AHD’s COVID-19 FAQs. If you have a loved one in a long-term care facility, do not hesitate to reach out to the facility directly. Use AHD’s 14 questions to ask your loved one's LTCF to find out what steps they are taking to protect their residents and staff.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,070, including 45 fatalities. Detailed data is available through the links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus. Now that Northern Virginia is in Phase One of the Forward Virginia blueprint, it is important to note that there is still community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 and everyone is safest at home. This is especially true for persons at higher risk for severe illness, including those over the age of 65 and those with underlying medical conditions. Those who do go out are reminded to remain 6 feet apart from others; wear a cloth face covering when physical distancing cannot be maintained outdoors and at all times in indoor public spaces; and wash hands frequently.
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