[Archived] City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Clarification of Restaurant Seating Requirements; New Restrictions Stress Importance of Masks; Community Testing Events for Uninsured

­­For Immediate Release: November 18, 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 to wear a mask over their noses and mouths 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. 

Clarification of Restaurant Seating Requirements

Per Executive Order 67, dine-in customers must be served at tables (not standing or at bar seating). Each party must be seated so that customers in different parties are at least 6 feet apart. Masks must be worn at all times when not drinking or eating. Parties of more than 25 may not be seated or served in restaurants 

New Restrictions Stress Importance of Masks

The new statewide mitigation measures now in effect to slow the spread of COVID-19 underscore the importance of wearing masks at all times when in public indoor and outdoor settings. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the mask requirement now applies to ages 5 years and up in indoor public places. The City’s ordinance requires that ages 10 and up wear masks in outdoor public places when within 6 feet of anyone from a different household. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published studies which show that wearing an unvalved, cloth mask that is at least two layers thick, snugly over the nose and mouth, can help protect the wearer as well as others outside their household from exposure to the coronavirus when in public settings. City webpages answer questions about the mask ordinance and guidance for what to do if observing the violation of an executive order.  

Community Testing Events for Uninsured

AHD and the City recently conducted a targeted COVID-19 testing event in partnership with Neighborhood Health, Alexandria's federally qualified health center. More than 280 residents were tested at Casey Health Center yesterday, with assistance from AHD's Medical Reserve Corps volunteers. In addition to testing, each participant received a packet of health and support service information. These free testing events are intended for those who are uninsured or have difficulty accessing healthcare. Insured residents should consult their doctor to be tested, or visit the City’s “ Get Tested” web page for testing location resources. AHD strongly discourages travel during the holidays. If travel is unavoidable, get tested before leaving for a trip and after you return. Although a negative test result does not eliminate the risk of travel, a positive test result will help determine whether isolation or quarantine is needed. AHD will continue to identify future sites and coordinate targeted testing events. Neighborhood Health is a provider of primary care and COVID-19 testing for residents with or without insurance. Make an appointment online or call 703.535.5568.  

Alexandria COVID-19 Data At-a-Glance

The chart below, containing the seven-day moving average number of COVID-19 cases and the daily and cumulative case and fatality counts, provides detailed information about how preventive measures are impacting Alexandria's response to the pandemic. An interactive version is available at alexandriava.gov/114883. 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.