For Immediate Release: December 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. 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.
The Alexandria Health Department has new guidance on Caring for Loved Ones with COVID-19, including how to support and care for someone who is sick, whether or not they are in your household. Learn how to provide contactless help, monitor for emergency symptoms, clean and disinfect the environment, and keep yourself safe. With the recent increase in local cases, your friends and loved ones may be impacted. Save this guidance in case someone you know becomes ill. The information provided is available in a flyer that can be downloaded, printed and shared.
As of today, the City has resumed enforcement of state vehicle safety inspections, which had been temporarily suspended since August. Inspection stations are open, and state guidelines permit service station staff to modify the inspection process to avoid entering the vehicle. The City encourages vehicle owners to stay current on inspections while following COVID-19 guidelines like staying 6 feet apart from others, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, and washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
The City will continue to suspend enforcement of the local requirement to display current state vehicle registration decals, because the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is experiencing a backlog of up to three months to schedule the appointments necessary for registration-related services. While existing vehicle registrations may typically be renewed online, new registrations and certain other services require in-person appointments.
As previously announced, the payment deadline for the City’s personal property tax (car tax and business property tax) for tax year 2020 has been extended by City Council to December 15. Enforcement of 2021 tax registration and new (red) residential parking permits will begin on December 16. Vehicles that are not currently registered for the car tax, or are parked in residential permit zones without a current (blue) parking permit, may still be ticketed.
All other normal parking restrictions remain in effect. Motorists should also be aware that they may be cited by other state or local police and sheriff’s departments in other jurisdictions for missing or expired registrations, even while Alexandria suspends enforcement. Owners of private parking facilities, such as condominiums and apartments, may also enforce their own parking regulations.
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.
Total Alexandria fatalities attributed to COVID-19 remain at 77. While there was a recent death associated with COVID-19, a Virginia Department of Health record review removed a prior case, resulting in a total number of 77 deaths.
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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