For Immediate Release: October 1, 2020
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) remind everyone that you are safest at home. Older adults and persons with underlying medical conditions are at greater risk for severe disease and are advised to minimize potential exposures as much as possible. Please keep at least 6 feet of distance from others. Everyone is required to wear a mask over both their nose and mouth at all times in most indoor public settings. Use the Virginia Department of Health’s COVIDWISE app to be quickly and anonymously notified of likely exposure to the virus. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you.
Inova now offers vehicle-side and walk-in testing services for diagnosing flu and COVID-19, at several Northern Virginia locations including Alexandria. Residents who have been screened and have a provider’s order to be tested can receive vehicle-side testing at the Victory Center parking lot location (5001 Eisenhower Ave.). This location replaces Inova Primary Care on Washington Street in Old Town, which will no longer offer Respiratory Illness Clinic services. Vehicle-side testing is available by appointment only. Vehicle-side and walk-in services are available in several additional Northern Virginia locations daily, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Medicaid customers and the uninsured are encouraged to contact Inova Cares Clinics for Families for virtual COVID-19 screenings.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) offers guidance for students who are returning home from college and university campuses that are experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. The information is also available in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. It is important for students returning from campus outbreaks or other COVID-19 exposure to quarantine at home for 14 days and monitor their health. Those who develop symptoms should contact their health care providers to be tested and should remain in quarantine even if they test negative for the coronavirus. Students should also be tested if they are informed by a health department contact tracer that they were in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Students who test positive should remain in isolation for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or a positive test result, and until they have not had a fever for 24 hours without the assistance of medication. The guidance includes information about protecting the household from the spread of COVID-19 while someone is in quarantine or isolation. VDH also has other resources and support available for parents and students.
Round Two of the Alexandria Back to Business grants program is open through noon on Monday, October 5. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 are available to help Alexandria-based small businesses that have been negatively affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Funds must be used to offset costs or investments related to reopening or rescaling a business. Acceptable uses include rent, equipment and supplies that promote health and safety, and purchases made to help a business adapt to new operating circumstances like outdoor dining. As long as the funds are used appropriately, repayment is not required.
"From the beginning of this crisis, City Council and City staff have worked to support our small businesses as they adapt to survive," said Mayor Justin Wilson. "As they continue to transition to safely serve their customers, we encourage businesses to apply for Back to Business grants for all eligible costs."
Since mid-March, the City has been providing regulatory flexibility to help businesses cope with the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions have removed barriers for businesses to make the shift to outdoor dining and sales, facilitate curbside pickup and delivery, and provide rapid turnaround on applications with fees suspended. Restaurants and other businesses can receive permits to use parking spaces, including on-street parking spaces, for outdoor dining, retail sales, and health and fitness services.
At its October 6 meeting, City Council will consider extending the current mid-November expiration of this initiative to March 31, 2021, and is expected to ask City staff to present a proposal for a further extension. Businesses interested in using Back to Business grant funding for outdoor expansion or any other eligible expenses should apply by the deadline of noon on October 5.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 3,859, including 69 fatalities. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, is available through links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.
AHD estimates that approximately 1 in 12 infected Alexandrians have required hospitalization. An estimated 66% of Virginia adults who become infected never have symptoms, so everyone must maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others, wear a mask over both the nose and mouth, and carry and use hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethyl alcohol. Be prepared to help your family and neighbors by answering a call from AHD if you are identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
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