For Immediate Release: June 27, 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, you are required to wear a face covering when inside buildings. Please keep at least 6 feet of distance from others whenever possible. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you to stop the spread of COVID-19.
As part of its work during the COVID-19 pandemic, AHD has concentrated and fortified its decision-making processes into Public Health Justice Principles. These principles comprise three areas that informed the development of various Strategic Action Frameworks:
Prioritizing science-based recommendations -- understanding that such recommendations will change with science’s understanding of a novel disease like COVID-19 -- to reduce the risk of harm to individuals or populations and to maximize effectiveness of limited resources
Focusing resources on saving lives of those in high-risk populations (such as older adults, persons living in long-term care facilities, and those with serious underlying medical conditions). From the beginning of the pandemic response, AHD has focused its resources into efforts with these target populations to reduce COVID-19 related fatalities.
Engaging and empowering Alexandrians most in need, recognizing certain members of the community (usually as the elderly, communities of color, and low-income residents) are not only most susceptible to chronic and infectious disease, but also are often marginalized in civic conversations and decision making. AHD will continue to engage community leaders and residents to inform communications strategies that empower them to take appropriate COVID-19 mitigation actions, and through meaningful community engagement, develop strategies for access to care and other resources.
In the fourth of a series, AHD has published its Strategic Action Framework: Vulnerable Residential Buildings. Vulnerable residential buildings include apartment buildings, duplexes or townhomes that serve populations at high risk of infection and severe illness from COVID-19, such as seniors; those living in crowded conditions, low-income residents, or are located in neighborhoods with high rates of confirmed COVID-19 infections. This framework summarizes objectives and tactics being used to support Alexandria’s senior housing and vulnerable residential buildings in infection control, outbreak prevention, and mitigation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Priority tactics include:
Sharing resources and information about best practices to stop the spread.
Determining use of infection control measures.
Working with building staff to utilize best practices.
Supporting the alteration of building conditions to encourage healthy behaviors.
All of the AHD Strategic Action Frameworks to date are now available online, and cover plans around community testing, support for long-term care facilities and congregate living facilities. These Frameworks are living documents that may change as public health learns more about COVID-19. They are primarily used as AHD internal project management documents, but are being shared with the public to increase pandemic response transparency. Sensitive information about specific facilities has been redacted.
The City is offering Out of School Time half-day programs and group game activities in addition to its full-day modified summer camp. All programs are available to Alexandria residents ages 6-12 who have attended Kindergarten through 6th grade. All health guidelines for staff and participants will be met, including symptom screening, use of face masks, enhanced cleaning, and physical distancing protocols, and indoor locations will have limited capacity. Swimming and field trips will not be held during the summer camps. View details about full-day camp, half-day camp, and Friday Fun Days, including locations, session descriptions and registration information.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,303, including 57 fatalities. Detailed data is available through the links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus. 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 those in high-risk populations (such as older adults, persons living in long-term care facilities, and those with serious underlying medical conditions). If you must go out, please remember to keep 6 feet of distance from others; wear a cloth face covering especially when inside public spaces; wash hands frequently; and remember to always carry tissues and hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol with you.
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