Health Department

Fairfax County, Virginia

CONTACT INFORMATION: Our administration office at 10777 Main Street in Fairfax is open during regular business hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Clinic services are not offered at this location. COVID-19 call center hours are Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.

703-267-3511
TTY 711

health@fairfaxcounty.gov

10777 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22030

Gloria Addo-Ayensu, M.D., M.P.H.,
Director of Health

Department Resources

Protect Yourself & Slow the Spread of COVID-19

Your actions keep all of us healthy.

It is just as important as ever that we all continue to work together to help slow the spread of COVID-19. No matter what the community level is, layered prevention strategies help protect yourself and others from viruses and other illnesses.

Get a vaccine and stay up to date.

If you are 6 months or older, get a COVID-19 vaccine. Stay up to date by getting all of the recommended COVID-19 vaccines for you. They are safe and effective.

Whatever you do, stay safe.

Stay informed. Consider what activities you would like to do and what you need to know to stay safe.

Get tested.

Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms, even if you are up to date on your vaccines, and follow other guidance for when to test.

Stay away from others if you are sick.

Stay home and away from others if you are sick and follow guidance for what to do if you’ve been in close contact with someone who is sick.

Inform your contacts.

If you have COVID-19, inform your contacts so that they will what steps to take.

Wash your hands, cover coughs and sneezes.

Keep up the good hygiene habits.

Get a vaccine and stay up to date.

Vaccination remains the leading public health prevention strategy to protect individuals and communities from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and working well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death. A booster dose helps you keep a high level of protection.

The best way to protect yourself from serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and to stay up to date, which means you have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible.

Everyone 6 months and older is eligible to get a free COVID-19 vaccine.
Everyone 5 years and older can get a booster dose. Some people are also eligible for an additional booster dose.
If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised, you should get an additional primary dose.

If you have not been vaccinated or boosted and are eligible, it’s not too late. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at locations throughout the Fairfax Health District, including private health care providers, pharmacies, grocery stores, urgent care clinics and the Health Department.

COVID-19 vaccines remain free at Health Department clinics. Find a vaccine appointment or walk-in location.

Visit our vaccine page

Whatever you do, stay safe.

We have the tools to protect ourselves and others. Stay informed and know when to take preventions steps.

Stay informed.

Recommendations and guidance are updated as we learn more. And your own personal situation may change, which means you may need to consider taking additional steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safer. For example, consider if you or a family member receives a new medical diagnosis, you start a new job or you welcome a new baby or family member who is high risk for severe illness into your home.

By staying connected you’ll be informed when recommendations change. Look for updates from us on our COVID-19 website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also sign up for updates by text messaging FFXCOVID to 888777 (or FFXCOVIDESP for updates in Spanish) and on the Fairfax County Emergency Information Blog.

Avoid poorly ventilated spaces and crowds and know when to social distance.

Being places that don’t offer fresh air and in crowds increases your risk of getting COVID-19.

Improving indoor ventilation (air flow) by bringing in fresh, outdoor air into your home can help prevent virus particles from accumulating inside. Consider opening windows, using air filters, and turning on fans to clear out virus particles faster. See more tips on improving indoor ventilation.
If someone you live with is sick, avoid close contact, if possible. If you are taking care of someone who is sick, make sure you properly wear a well-fitting mask and follow other steps to protect yourself.
If you are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, when you are inside in public and in crowds, stay at least 6 feet away from other people. This is especially true if you are at higher risk of getting very sick with COVID-19.

Masks can help protect you and others from COVID-19.

While masks are no longer required in most settings, you can continue wear a mask any time you are indoors or in crowds. Consider your risk and those you spend time with and select a mask with the best fit and protection. A mask should fit well and cover your nose and mouth. Some masks and respirators offer more protection than others (for example, an N95, KN95 and KF94). See this guide for more information and find free masks (N95 respirators) at a participating location near you.

You should still always wear a mask if you have symptoms and for 10 days after a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 (see guidance). Some localities, local businesses, and other settings such as where health or medical services are provided may also require masks.

See more guidance and tips for wearing a mask.

Travel Safely.

When you travel, plan ahead. Check on the COVID-19 situation before you are traveling, both within and outside the U.S. Different locations may have higher levels of COVID-19 than where you live. There may also be different requirements for testing and masking for travelers. See travel guidance from the CDC.

Make sure you are up to date on your vaccines before traveling.

Do not travel if you are sick, if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or if you tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days. If you were in close contact with someone with COVID-19, follow quarantine guidance.

Find ways to be safer when you go out

Get Tested.

You should get tested for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms or if you spent time with someone who has symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19 — even if you have had the COVID-19 vaccine.

You may also consider taking a home test immediately before going to an indoor event or gathering. This is especially important before gathering with individuals at risk of severe disease, older adults, those who are immunocompromised, or people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including children who cannot get vaccinated yet.

By testing, you will learn what actions you need to take to help protect those around you and slow the spread in our community.

If you test positive, there may be treatments available if you are at risk for becoming very sick. Contact your healthcare provider right away if your test result is positive to determine if you are eligible because treatments must be started early to work well.

Learn more about testing and find locations

Stay Away From Others if You’re Sick

COVID-19 can spread easily between people. It is important you stay away from others, including those you live with, unless you are seeking care. Stay home if you:

Have any symptoms of COVID-19
Are waiting for test results
Have tested positive for COVID-19
Were exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are not up to date on your vaccines or if you haven't had COVID-19 in the last six months
Traveled internationally and are not up to date on your vaccines

How long you need to stay away from others will depend on whether you are sick (this is called isolating), if you were exposed (this is called quarantining), and if you are up to date on your vaccines or if you've had COVID-19. You should follow the guidance for when to stay away from others, even if you feel well because you might have COVID-19 but are not showing symptoms.

Need information on what to do if you are caring for someone who is sick? See this information from the CDC.

See When to Isolate and When to Quarantine

IDENTIFY and INFORM Your Close Contacts

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, or if you have received a text message from the Fairfax County Health Department, it is important to take steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your family and in our community.

In addition to staying home and away from others, inform your close contacts. Notify everyone you have been in close contact with about your illness and share guidance about what they should do. This includes everyone you have been within 6 feet of for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, beginning two days before you developed symptoms or two days before you took your COVID-19 test, if you do not have symptoms.

Informing your contacts is important because the Health Department is no longer conducting general public, individual case investigation contact investigations. See this update about COVID-19 Case Investigations.

See steps to Slow the Spread of COVID-19

Wash your hands and cover coughs and sneezes.

Simply washing your hands correctly and frequently can lower your chance of getting sick and spreading germs to others. You should always wash your hands before you touch your nose, mouth and eyes — for example, when changing contact lenses.

Cover your coughs and sneezes with the inside of your elbow or a tissue, if you are not wearing a mask. If you are wearing a mask, you can cough or sneeze into your mask. Put on a new, clean mask as soon as possible and wash your hands.

Wash Your Hands

Step 1: Start with warm water.

Step 2: Use soap to make a lather.

Step 3: Scrub for 20 seconds.

Step 4: Rinse well.

Step 5: Dry hands completely.

Step 6: Use towel to shut off faucet.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol are a good alternative when soap and water are not available to wash your hands.

Learn Proper Handwashing