For Immediate Release: November 5, 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. To stop the spread of COVID-19, the state order and City ordinance require everyone ages 10 and older to wear a mask over their nose and mouth in indoor public places and when at least 6 feet of physical distance cannot be maintained between those of different households in outdoor public places, with limited exceptions. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you.
COVID-19 can cause severe illness in anyone, regardless of age, race, or ethnicity. That is why it is everyone’s responsibility to follow guidance to minimize the spread. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted April through June found that some age groups were significantly more likely than others to follow proven public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Mitigation behaviors, including mask wearing, hand washing, physical distancing, crowd and restaurant avoidance, and cancellation of social activities, were lowest among adults ages 18 to 29 and highest among adults over age 60. Mask wearing increased over time, but the other measures decreased or remained unchanged. Lower rates of adherence to mitigation guidance in the younger age group may contribute to the increase in infection rates that preceded the increase in other age groups as the pandemic has endured. Those who reported wearing masks consistently were also significantly more likely to follow the other mitigation measures, while those who did not wear masks reported not following other guidance. Nearly half of study participants reported following all Six Steps to Stop the Spread of COVID-19. The City has numerous materials available for download and print, that describe and illustrate the steps. Prints can also be requested by the City.
This chart provides information about how preventive measures are impacting Alexandria’s response to the pandemic. Click or tap the chart to view an interactive version that provides details of the seven-day moving average number of COVID-19 cases, and the daily and cumulative case and fatality counts. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, are available through links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.
AHD estimates that approximately 1 in 13 Alexandrians who tested positive for COVID-19 have required hospitalization. An estimated 66% of Virginia adults who become infected never have symptoms. The best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 remain wearing a mask in public, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others, and frequently washing your hands or carrying and using hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethyl alcohol. Help your loved ones and neighbors by answering a call from AHD if identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19, and download the Virginia Department of Health’s COVIDWISE app to be quickly and anonymously notified of likely exposure to the virus.
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