Alexandria Cases: • June 8: 2,102 • June 16: 2,168
Virginia Cases: • June 8: 51,251 • June 16: 55,331
United States Cases: • June 8: 1,920,904 • June 16: 2,063,812
Alexandria Deaths: • June 8: 45 • June 16: 47
Virginia Deaths: • June 8: 1,477 • June 16: 1,570
United States Deaths: • June 8: 109,901 • June 16: 115,27
Wednesday, June 17
ONE LESS: The health department reported eight new COVID-19 Cases last night. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,168, including 47 fatalities. The Virginia Department of Health has reassigned one previously reported fatality to another jurisdiction. Detailed data is available through the links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.
Tuesday, June 16
NINE MORE COVID CASES: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,160, including 48 fatalities.
Monday, June 15
SEVENTEEN MORE: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,151, including 48 fatalities.
DEMOGRAPHIC DASHBOARD: The Virginia Department of Health updated its demographics dashboard to include additional racial reporting categories for case, hospitalization and death data. The updated dashboard confirms existing race, ethnicity and zip code data that indicates Alexandria's Latinx population is disproportionately burdened by COVID-19. The data also confirms that people of color are experiencing higher rates of hospitalization due to COVID-19. The Alexandria Health Department and the City are committed to working directly with community members and partners to address these disparities and develop solutions not just for COVID-19, but also for the underlying systems and policies that have led to these inequities, according to city documents.
REC CENTERS: Recreation centers will operate at 30% capacity with modified hours and access. Beginning on June 20, all recreation centers will be open for scheduled programming. The following centers will provide limited recreational access for teens, individuals, and families, as well as senior-only hours:
- Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St.
- Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center, 25 W. Reed Ave.
- Mount Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Ave.
- Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4653 Taney Ave.
- William Ramsay Recreation Center, 5650 Sanger Ave.
Recreational access schedules will be posted at https://www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation by Friday, June 19.
LEE CENTER: The Registration & Reservation Office at the Lee Center will be open by appointment only, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 703-746-5414.
CHINQUAPIN PARK: Beginning June 22, Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics Facility will offer Alexandria residents ticketed entry for racquetball, swimming, and use of the fitness room on Mondays through Fridays to ages 60 and older from 8 to 10 a.m., and to all ages from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticketed entry for racquetball and fitness room use will be available on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon for all ages. Advanced reservation is required for ticketed entry and reservations will be available each Thursday for the following week. Tickets for the week of June 22 will be available starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 18. One ticket per day can be reserved per person. Tickets can be reserved online at https://www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation or by calling 703-746-6909. General admission fees apply and passes remain suspended throughout the summer.
NATURE CENTER: Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center is currently closed due to necessary repairs.
POOL SEASON: The 2020 summer outdoor pool season will be July 1 through September 7 (Labor Day). Pools will be open for diving, exercise and instruction, with lap swimming limited to three persons per lane. Each pool will have specific requirements and restrictions. See https://www.alexandriava.gov/recreation/info/default.aspx?id=116065.
Registration for outdoor fitness and tennis classes will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17 for Alexandria residents, and Friday, June 19 for nonresidents. Summer programs take place June 26 through September 5. Registration will be available online at https://www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation and in person by appointment at the Registration & Reservation Office (1108 Jefferson St.). Schedule an appointment by calling 703-746-5414.
Swimmers must always maintain 10 feet of physical distance unless necessary to protect the physical safety of the swimmer..
MEMORIAL POOL: As a result, the Memorial Pool, 901 Wythe St., will be open for scheduled programming only, with no drop-in or lap swimming.
WARWICK POOL: Warwick Pool, 3301 Landover St., will be open for scheduled programming with limited pop-up ticketed entry for swimming when possible.
OLD TOWN POOL: Old Town Pool, 1609 Cameron St., will offer ticketed entry for swimming from noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Advanced reservation is required for ticketed entry. Reservations will be available each Thursday at 9 a.m. for the following week. One ticket per day can be reserved per person. Tickets can be reserved online at https://www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation or by calling 703-746-6909. General admission fees apply and passes remain suspended throughout the summer.
POTOMAC YARD FOUNTAIN: The Potomac Yard Park Interactive Fountain will remain closed until Northern Virginia enters Phase Three. For information about fees and pool amenities, visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/Aquatics.
AMNESTY, CURBSIDE PICKUP: Alexandria Library will waive fines and fees associated with materials returned by July 31 while buildings remain closed. Items may be returned in the book drops at all library locations . Because returned items will be quarantined, they will continue to show on customer accounts for at least 72 hours until they are checked in.
Damaged and lost items will incur a replacement cost, but overdue fines will be removed.
Curbside pickup will also start on June 15 for customers who had items on hold before library branches closed. These customers will receive a notification that their holds are available and then customers can make reservations to pick up the materials.
On or around June 29, customers will be able to place new holds on items. For details, visit the Alexandria Library website. While Alexandria Library buildings remain closed, services are available to provide safe access to and return of materials.
PARKS, TRAIL, DOG PARKS, MORE: City outdoor amenities began reopening and most are expected to be fully reopened by Monday, June 15. These include parks, playgrounds, trails, paths, fields, dog parks, restrooms, parking lots, park roadways, and most sport courts. The playground at the Charles Houston Recreation Center will remain closed to complete necessary repairs. An amenity should be considered closed if it still has signs indicating closure, locked gates or doors, temporary fencing or tape, or barricades. Playgrounds are reopening earlier than previously anticipated because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance.
Playgrounds and fields operated by the Alexandria City Public Schools will not reopen until announced by ACPS.
See https://www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation.
USE PLAYGROUNDS SAFELY: The Alexandria health department reminds everyone there is still community spread of COVID-19. Children can catch the virus when they touch contaminated objects and then touch their mouths, noses or eyes, as well as when they have close contact with others who may have the virus. Each family must weigh the risks and benefits of going out in public, and of using public equipment. Risks include contracting the illness and becoming severely ill, as well as the potential for spreading the virus among family and household members who may be at high risk (for example, those 65 and older and with underlying medical conditions). Benefits include the physical, mental and emotional rewards of getting outdoors and being physically active.
Families should use playgrounds and parks only if they are not sick. AHD advises families to only use parks and playgrounds that are not crowded. Based on guidance from Executive Order 65 for fitness and exercise equipment, families using parks and playgrounds are advised to always remain 10 feet apart from those outside their household, and to clean and disinfect playground equipment before and after each use.
SURVEY CLOSES: The Alexandria health department’s COVID-19 care survey closes June 19. The department wants feedback to help improve healthcare in the community. The brief, 5-minute survey about experience finding and receiving care are available in Spanish, Arabic, Amharic and Farsi (Persian).
REMINDER THROUGHOUT: The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department remind everyone that Alexandrians (and everybody) are safest at home except for essential trips such as food purchases and medical care. This is especially true for persons at higher risk for severe illness, including those over the age of 65 and those with underlying medical conditions.
If leaving one’s home, wear a cloth face covering around others and keep at least 6 feet apart from others whenever possible. “Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you to stop the spread of COVID-19,” according to the Arlington Health Department.
Sunday, June 14
SIX MORE: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,134, including 48 fatalities.
Saturday, June 13
SIX MORE: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,134, including 48 fatalities.
PROTECTING RESIDENTS: The Alexandria Health Department published its Strategic Action Framework Supporting Long-Term Care Facilities, a second in a series. The document is a summary of priority objectives and tactics to reduce cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Alexandria's residents who are most vulnerable to COVID-19: those who live in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. The document also highlights the health department’s actions to date, such as coordinating point prevalence surveys, providing personal protective equipment and conducting infection control assessments.
Priority tactics include: Guidance, training and coaching on day-to-day healthcare worker infection prevention and control practices; personal protective equipment management; contact tracing; serial point prevalence survey testing; continuous quality improvement plans; business practices supporting a healthy workforce and living environment; maintaining communications with partners.
They are primarily used as internal project management documents, but are being released to the public to increase pandemic response transparency. Sensitive information about specific facilities has been redacted.
80 PROMISES AND COUNTING: Since the health department launched the ALX Promise program on May 23 in partnership with Visit Alexandria, more than 300 restaurants, retail shops and other businesses have started the pledge process to reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 80 businesses have completed training and have been awarded the ALX Promise Shield to show customers that they are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment by using the highest safety standards. ALX Promise encourages businesses to adopt COVID-19 safety standards for employees and customers that exceed the minimum rules required by law. See Alexandria’s ALX Promise webpage.
Friday, June 12
ONE MORE: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,128, including 48 fatalities.
PANDEMIC WITHIN PANDEMIC: The City of Alexandria has launched two initiatives to recognize and record the Alexandria community’s response to two ongoing, historic events: the global COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd on May 25. The City’s Office of Historic Alexandria will gather oral histories and collect selected memories, objects, photographs and documents that capture these unprecedented moments in history. These initiatives reach out to residents, businesses, schools, healthcare workers, faith communities and civic organizations to tell these national stories at the local level. Visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/Historic for more information about these projects.
PANDEMIC: For the first initiative, “Chronicling the Pandemic,” the community is encouraged to share stories about living or working in Alexandria during the pandemic; describe how they and their families’ lives have changed; show how they have been able to help others; narrate how others have helped them; or illustrate what became different in Alexandria because of the pandemic.
Participants can also share artwork, homemade items, photographs, journals or other artifacts that can help document the impact of COVID-19 on the community. To share a story, or to provide information about objects to be considered for acquisition into the City’s historical collections, simply complete and submit the Chronicling the Pandemic form. Visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/Historic for more information about these projects.
GEORGE FLOYD: The second initiative, “The Legacy of George Floyd and Alexandria’s Response,” invites the community to share signs, t-shirts, flyers, photographs, journals, personal stories and artifacts that document local vigils and protests. Items accepted for donation to the City’s historical collections will be housed at the Alexandria Black History Museum. To share a story or to provide information about objects that might be considered for the project, complete the Legacy of George Floyd: Documenting Alexandria's Response form.
Visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/Historic for more information about these projects.
Thursday, June 11
ONE LIFE, TWO MORE CASES: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,127, including 48 fatalities.
COVID BY ZIP CODE: The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has published data on COVID-19 cases by zip code since the beginning of May. The following Alexandria Health Department (AHD) analysis summarizes the current data and changes in the past month. The City of Alexandria has provided the estimated population for each local zip code to compare the number of cases per 1,000 residents. As of June 9, VDH has reported the following COVID-19 cases:
Wednesday, June 10
10 MORE: The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 2,125, including 47 fatalities.
TRAVEL?: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided frequently asked questions for domestic and international travelers. Domestic travelers are advised to find out if COVID-19 is spreading in their local area or in the places being visited. Visiting family may be especially dangerous if travelers or their loved ones are more likely to get very ill from COVID-19, and people at higher risk for severe illness need to take extra precautions .
The CDC recommends everyone to avoid nonessential international travel. Many countries are implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders, and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice. Airlines have canceled many international flights and in-country travel may be unpredictable. Some healthcare systems are overwhelmed and there may be limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be disrupted, and you could remain outside the United States for an indefinite length of time.
KING STREET: During Phase Two of the “Forward Virginia” reopening blueprint, the City will continue the temporary closure of the 100 block of King Street to vehicular traffic.