Board of Supervisors - Chairman

To the Fairfax County Community,

With tomorrow's forecast, I wanted to break from my usual COVID-19 news for an update on snow. It looks like, for now, we will not be seeing much accumulation in Fairfax County.

However, I wanted to share what resources are available should that change or in the likely event, we have snow in the future.

See below for the full December 15 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

I want to begin by wishing a Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate and I hope that you have a healthy holiday. Like all other holidays this year, it will have to be celebrated differently. It's sad that during the holiday season we must continue to fight this disease, but that's the reality we are in. Ideas and guidelines for activities with a low-risk of COVID-19 transmission can be found here.

I'll be blunt about how we are doing. Fairfax County's and Virginia's COVID-19 case numbers aren't looking good. Our percent positivity and the state's percent positivity rates are both at 11%. Cases per day in Virginia are almost four times higher than they were in May. Community transmission is high across the state. While we still have hospital capacity in Fairfax County, should cases continue to rise at this rate, that could easily change. We are in this together and will only get out of this if we do our best to take care of one another.

Much of our rise in cases is caused by the following: spending more time inside with those out of your household, more family gatherings, increased travel, and mitigation fatigue. As much as possible, we need to stay home, wear a mask and social distance when not home, and limit activity to those within your household.

Today, Governor Northam announced steps to address the statewide caseload. They are outlined in the following section.

See below for the full December 10 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

I hope you had a safe and healthy holiday weekend. We will have a better understanding of the impact of the holiday on our COVID-19 case load in the coming days and if you traveled, I urge you to stay home and get tested if you are experiencing symptoms.

Today, we had our last Board meeting of 2020. And what a year it has been! As you will see below, the County accepted funding from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) for the purpose of COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Some of you have requested more information regarding vaccine distribution and I plan on addressing this topic within the next week. As a reminder however, no vaccine has yet been formally approved by the FDA and thus all information remains preliminary. Final plans are dependent on guidance released from the federal and Virginia governments.

The meeting agenda is available for your review here.

See below for the full December 1 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Thanksgiving is just days away and I'm sure many are looking forward to a enjoying their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes with loved ones.

You likely have heard the following message before, either from me or from officials across the country, but I want to take this final opportunity to encourage you to be safe by celebrating the holiday with those in your household. My family and I are taking this advice with a small meal with just my wife and two kids.

Whatever your plans are, you are greatly encouraged to: wear a mask and social distance. COVID-19 spreads through large particles in the air and these are the most effective ways at preventing it. Particularly if you are indoors.

Your care in the following weeks will help to control the rise in cases and keep hospitalizations and deaths down. I understand this is disappointing, but it's the reality we face. Please take care and consider Fairfax County's holiday guidance here. Remember, we are all responsible for keeping our community safe.

As most of you know restrictions on gatherings and businesses are determined in Virginia by the Governor, not your Board of Supervisors. I am in regular communication with Governor Northam and his team about our health metrics. This collaboration has been critical in fighting this virus and will continue to be as we navigate the road ahead.

See below for the full November 24 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

As you may know, last Friday, Governor Northam increased restrictions on activity due to a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in Virginia. The new measures are outlined here. The restrictions do not limit capacity for schools, places of worship, private offices, gyms, restaurants, and other businesses, but do cap private and public gatherings to 25 people. The updated Executive Order is here and updated guidelines are here.

An important goal of these restrictions is to limit social gatherings as the holidays approach. We are finding in Fairfax County for example that the increased spread of COVID-19 is occurring at small, in-person, and indoor gatherings between those who are not in the same household. We need residents to continue to be careful - wear a mask, social distance, wash hands frequently, and stay home. I understand there is COVID fatigue, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation.

In addition, Fairfax County's guidelines for Thanksgiving can be found here. The County's COVID-19 case data can be found here.

See below for the full November 17 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

In case you haven't heard, Governor Northam announced new COVID-19 restrictions this afternoon that will take effect midnight on Sunday (morning), November 15. They are detailed below. I have also included the Governor's video message.

As a reminder you can see our case data here. As I explained in Tuesday's newsletter, cases in Fairfax County are increasing. We are lucky that cases do not seem to be rising in Virginia as quickly as in other states and these new restrictions will hopefully slow the spread of the virus.

That said, the most effective way to slow the spread is by wearing a mask when you are interacting with those outside of your household. The New York Times released a piece which explains the effectiveness of masks. You do not need to be a subscriber to read it. In addition, the CDC recently updated its guidance that masks not only protect those around you, they can protect you as well.

Please note, these next few months will be difficult. As I did during the spring, I will be sure to give you the best information as quickly as possible.

See below for the full November 13 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

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To the Fairfax County Community,

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day - a day to honor our military veterans who have served this country. Fairfax County is currently home to almost 80,000 veterans. This year, we are proud to be able to celebrate with the opening of the National Museum of the United States Army on Fort Belvoir.

This is the first and only museum to tell the entire history of the U.S. Army since its establishment in 1775. The Museum will engage visitors through first-person Soldier stories, interactive exhibitions, and over 766,000 works of art, artifacts, and documents. Because of COVID-19, the museum is requiring timed tickets and has a reduced total capacity.

See below for the full November 10 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

Another Election Day has come and gone. This election year was unlike any other we have ever seen. Our turnout throughout the process was truly encouraging and spoke to our residents' faith in the democratic process. Our turnout is currently measured at 77.5% and the Supervisor district with the highest turnout was Hunter Mill with 79.9%. You can see the overall data from this year's election in the chart below.

That said, I want to take a moment to thank the Electoral Board, our staff in the Office of Elections, and the many volunteers who devoted their time this year to making this election a success and enabled hundreds of thousands of voters to cast their ballots safely.

In Fairfax County, we are committed to counting every single ballot. The results online provide a fairly good picture of the count, however this is currently an unofficial report. This is because absentee ballots may be accepted until noon Friday.

See below for the full November 4 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

The 2020 November election is less than a week away. I'm excited by the turnout we have seen. As of last night, over 301,000 ballots have been cast so far in Fairfax County. This is about 53% of the total number of votes cast in 2016. I requested my ballot by mail and returned it to a drop box at the Fairfax County Government Center. Do you know when, where, and how you will cast your ballot this year? For everything you need to know about voting, be sure to check the Fairfax County Office of Elections website. Below, I also include some new information you might find helpful.

On a different note, I would like to congratulate our former Chair of the Fairfax County Board, Sharon Bulova, who has been recognized by the American Public Transportation Association for her leadership and commitment to public transit in our region. Learn more about the award here.

Finally, Halloween is this Saturday. I hope you are able to celebrate safely. The County has guidelines on low, moderate, and high risk activities that you can read here. As always however, be sure to wear a mask!

See below for the full October 28 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.

To the Fairfax County Community,

On Saturday, we had almost 11,000 people cast a ballot at our 15 early voting sites. This is the highest number of early votes cast in a single day in Fairfax County ever! The turnout for this election is truly incredible. It also requires our patience as we continue to support each other's health and the health of our hardworking election officials.

I want to remind voters of a few Election facts:

• Applications for an absentee/mail-in ballot must be received by the Office of Elections no later than 5 pm on Oct. 23. Learn how to apply here or apply online here.
• There are 15 locations to vote early in-person - be sure to check the times before you go.
• You may deliver a mail-in ballot by mail or at a ballot drop box. Ballot drop boxes are located at all early voting locations, only during the hours the polls are open. The exception to this is the 24-hr drop box at the Fairfax County Government Center. Finally, drop boxes will also be available at every precinct on Election Day. You do not need to wait in line to drop off a ballot.

The Election is two weeks away, be sure to take advantage of the many opportunities to vote early.

In addition, today, we had a Board meeting, which is the subject of the rest of this newsletter.

The full agenda is available for your review here.

See below for the full October 20 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.