Alexandria Motel Demolished — “The Alexandria Motel at 6411 Richmond Highway was officially demolished in late November to make way for a future stormwater management facility for the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. During its heyday in the mid-twentieth century, the motel was a 27-room property advertising its private showers, televisions, central heating and cross-ventilation.” [On the MoVe]
McLean Residents Object to Loss of Trees — “VDOT contractors have cut down hundreds of trees just outside the Beltway near the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Georgetown Pike. They’re extending Virginia’s High Occupancy Toll lanes to the Potomac and perhaps into Maryland. At the outer loop exit onto the G.W., neighbors compare the damage to a strip mine.” [WUSA9]
County Prosecutors Sued Over Child Molestation Case — “A new lawsuit claims Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and his office mishandled a child molestation case by missing a key deadline and then offering a plea deal that upset the family of the victim.” [WTOP]
Fairfax City Unveils New Logos — “Fairfax City held a ceremony unveiling the new city seal, city flag, City of Fairfax Fire Department badge and patch, and City of Fairfax Police Department department badge and patch. All will be implemented by the new year. Police and Fire honor guards assisted with the flag replacement and seal reveal.” [City of Fairfax/Facebook]
Tysons Still Working to Get Beyond Offices — “Tysons is the largest office submarket in Northern Virginia…But with the office market becoming more mature and underlying fundamentals for the sector weakening, developers are hoping a focus on other uses and amenities for the community will help Tysons become a city with its own identity” [Bisnow]
Documentary Delves Into Lorton Prison History — “The emotionally raw scene is part of a stage play from the ’70s, produced and performed by inmates of Lorton Reformatory, the notorious D.C.-area prison that closed in 2001. Preserved on an old VHS tape, it is one of many gems unearthed by Karim Mowatt, director of the new documentary ‘Lorton: Prison of Terror.'” [Washington Post Magazine]
Reston Consulting Firm Bought by IBM — “IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) is acquiring Reston federal IT contractor Octo Consulting Group Inc. from Chevy Chase private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners LLC…The move will add Octo’s approximately 1,500 employees to IBM’s consulting subsidiary.” [Washington Business Journal]
Falls Church Resident to Appear on “Jeopardy” — “A Falls Church resident is set to compete on Jeopardy! this week. You can watch Sriram Krishnan, of Falls Church, compete on the famous game show, airing Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m.” [ABC7]
It’s Thursday — Possible drizzle overnight. High of 55 and low of 46. Sunrise at 7:16 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County will introduce speed cameras to school and construction zones early next year.
At a meeting last night (Tuesday), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved amending the county code to establish a pilot program that will install 10 automated photo speed cameras in school and construction zones around the county.
The program is intended to “increase safety for some of our most vulnerable road users, that’s school children and roadway construction workers,” Fairfax County Police Department Traffic Division Commander Alan Hanson told the board.
The cameras will “hopefully” be installed in nine school zones and one construction zone by Feb. 1, staying in place for six months, Hanson said. Enforcement will begin when drivers go 10 miles over the speed limit with fines escalating to a maximum of $100.
Signage identifying speed camera locations will be placed within 1,000 feet of each camera, per state code, with the locations also being posted on the county’s website.
“We’re not trying to trap people,” Hanson said in the county press release.
It’s not immediately clear where exactly the cameras will be installed.
Each camera will cost about $3,000 per month, according to the press release. Adding in associated signage and other equipment, the total cost for the pilot program is around $180,000.
Speeding has become a huge concern, particularly around schools after a teen allegedly driving 81 mph struck and killed two Oakton High School students on Blake Lane in June. A third student was seriously injured. Residents had been seeking safety improvements, including speed cameras, in that area for years.
A pilot work group found that almost 95% of drivers in the school zone at Springfield’s Irving Middle School were driving 10 mph or more above the speed limit during a morning sampling period done last year.
“In the five school zones surveyed, hundreds and sometimes thousands of drivers exceeded the speed limit by more than 10 mph during the sample period,” the county said.
There have been at least 25 pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County this year, per state data, making 2022 the deadliest year in more than a decade.
During the public hearing portion of yesterday’s meeting, Chris French from Fairfax Families for Safe Streets shared that four pedestrians have been killed since October, most recently near Graham Park Plaza on Sunday (Dec. 4).
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the goal of the speed camera pilot is to change behaviors.
“There is one reason we are doing this and that is to save lives, and to do that, we [need] to change people’s attitudes and behavior, around schools and around work zones,” he said. “And, hopefully, the program will be successful, not because we collected revenue [from fines], but because people have changed their driving habits.”
The two residents who spoke during the public hearing supported the addition of speed cameras but brought up several concerns.
One is that by levying fines only when a driver exceeds the speed limit by 10 miles, it effectively turns a 25-mph speed limit into 35 mph. The advocates asked for the school zone speed limits to be lowered to 15 mph.
Additionally, they urged the county to consider the locations of the cameras and to alter the fine structure so it won’t more heavily impact communities of color.
However, supervisors noted there are considerable limits on the county’s authority. The state code only allows speed cameras to be placed in school and work zones, and the Virginia Department of Transportation limits when and how localities can change speed limits around schools.
“We don’t have the authority right now, today, to lower the [school zone] speed limit to 15 mph,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said. “We thought we had it. The legislation on its face says we have it, but as our attorneys point out very accurately, there’s a caveat in there that VDOT is hiding behind.”
The board adopted a legislative program on Tuesday for the Virginia General Assembly’s 2023 session that calls on state lawmakers to give localities the authority to lower speed limits and generally structure the speed camera program as the county sees fit.
If the pilot program is successful, speed cameras will expand throughout the county. A first phase scheduled for implementation in the fiscal year 2024 — which starts July 1, 2023 — would add 50 cameras, while a second phase could add 30 more cameras in school zones starting in 2025.
Full implementation of the speed camera program would require four additional positions within the police department and is estimated to cost nearly $4 million annually.
Speed enforcement cameras have already been introduced in Fairfax City, and they’re on the way to Alexandria City and Arlington County.
The pedestrian and bicycle network around the West Falls Church Metro station in Idylwood is uncomfortable to use in some places and nonexistent in many others, a newly released report found.
The West Falls Church Active Transportation Study confirms community complaints that local roads are unsafe and inadequate for current residents, let alone the influx of newcomers anticipated with 1.8 million square feet of new development planned in the transit station area (TSA).
Faced with transportation infrastructure often designed to move drivers at the expense of other road users like pedestrians and bicyclists, the report proposes an array of potential improvements, from new sidewalks to a road diet on Haycock Road.
“Providing active transportation accommodations in a built-environment can be challenging and costly, but it is vital, especially for areas that are focused on transit-oriented development,” the report said. “Safe and comfortable sidewalks and bicycle facilities may encourage transit usage as they can provide access to more people within transit station areas.”
Developed by Fairfax County staff and an advisory group of residents and road safety advocates, the study launched last December after the Board of Supervisors set the stage for redevelopments of the Metro station and Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center campus, raising concerns that the added density will exacerbate safety and congestion issues in the area.
With major construction already underway on the former George Mason High School campus in Falls Church City, the report states that the new developments will “likely result in an increase in traffic on the area’s roadways.”
For example, on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), where the majority of crashes in the TSA over the past five years are concentrated, daily traffic volumes are projected to rise from about 30,000 vehicles prior to the pandemic in 2010 to over 50,000 vehicles in 2045.
Projects recommended by the report include sidewalks, shared-use paths and paved trails on several roads. It also proposes safety measures at key intersections, such as flashing beacons for the Washington & Old Dominion Trail crossing at Virginia Lane and a pedestrian refuge on Idylwood Road near Lemon Road Elementary School.
Some of the recommended high-visibility crosswalks on Leesburg Pike at the Idylwood, I-66 and Pimmit Drive intersections have already been added, as of October, according to footnotes in the report.
The report also suggests considering road design or operational changes, including road diets, one-way streets near the Metro station, and “slow streets” with lower speed limits, traffic barriers and limited access.
Road diets repurpose existing travel lanes for bicycle lanes, transit, parking or other uses, though the Virginia Department of Transportation typically uses them to create center left-turn lanes. The report proposes Haycock Road between Turner Avenue and Falls Church City, and Great Falls Street on the I-66 overpass as possible candidates.
Slow streets would be a new concept for Fairfax County, but D.C. experimented with them during the first year of the pandemic, and some cities, particularly in California, are adopting them permanently.
The report suggests testing the idea with one or two local streets, such as Chestnut and Gordons Road between Dale Drive and Shreve Road or Highland Avenue between Haycock and North West Street.
“As with road diets, slow street projects would require an assessment of the potential traffic impacts and must be closely coordinated with VDOT and affected members of the community,” the report says.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally accepted the report yesterday, directing county staff to incorporate the recommendations into the countywide active transporation plan and identify possible funding sources.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, who represents the TSA, along with Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, said he’s “absolutely confident” that the report accurately reflects the needs and priorities of the community.
“I frequently walk those areas personally, and I believe this study does a good job of describing existing pedestrian and bicycle conditions and needed improvements in the area and of prioritizing safety and access improvements that are needed,” he said.
A new sushi restaurant has opened in Tysons.
Kusshi Ko started welcoming customers at 8365 Leesburg Pike in Pike 7 Plaza with a soft opening on Friday (Dec. 2).
Co-owner Tony Chow says operations will ramp up slowly to avoid overwhelming the new staff, so no grand opening has been scheduled yet. However, as an initial promotion, those who visit the restaurant’s Instagram page can fill out a form to get a discount code.
No decision has been made yet about how long the discount will be offered, Chow told FFXnow.
This is the first Fairfax County location for Kusshi, which started at Pike & Rose in Bethesda in 2018. The business also has a restaurant in Arlington and opened one in Silver Spring in October.
At 1,500 square feet in size, the Tysons location is smaller than the other venues, as reflected by the diminutive “ko” added to its name. The restaurant doesn’t have a full bar, but it provides two levels of seating with the addition of a loft.
The menu is also slightly more limited. In addition to a variety of sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiri, it features donburi (rice bowls), ramen and other noodle dishes, and tempura.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the same quality sushi as the full-service restaurants,” Chow said.
Located at the end of the shopping center next to Orvis, Kusshi Ko’s arrival at Pike 7 Plaza was preceded by Ingle Korean Steakhouse, a Korean barbecue joint that opened in November. The property also added Ulta Beauty and Grill Kabob this year.
Still to come is a Lidl in the former Staples. The grocery store is currently under construction and on track to open next year, according to a Lidl spokesperson.
Pike 7 Plaza owner Federal Realty also got Fairfax County’s approval this spring to build a drive-thru restaurant for Shake Shack. A permit application for the new commercial building was submitted to the county in May, but construction has not yet begun.
Residents served by Haulin’ Trash, the now-bankrupt private trash collector, will be allowed to use Fairfax County’s waste disposal facilities at no charge for the next month.
The Board of Supervisors moved yesterday to suspend charges for affected individuals who drop off their household trash and recycling at the county’s I-66 Transfer Station (4618 West Ox Road) and I-95 Landfill Complex (9850 Furnace Road).
“I think everyone was caught off guard completely by this, and it has been difficult for many of the people affected to get a new contract in place,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said when introducing the board matter at yesterday’s meeting.
The facilities open at 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, though there are scheduled closures on Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day.
While most recyclable materials are accepted for free, they have fees for trash based on the type of material, volume, weight and number of bags used.
The fee waivers went into effect today and will continue until Jan. 1. A past bill from Haulin’ Trash must be presented for verification by on-site staff to get the discount.
Started in 2017 and based in Leesburg, Haulin’ Trash announced last week that it would permanently close on Dec. 1 after financial and staffing challenges reportedly resulted in lagging and missed collections.
Shared just hours following an earlier email that suggested the company was still trying to find a solution to its service issues, the news forced approximately 3,000 county residents to find a new hauler with essentially no warning.
The fee suspension is intended to hold over residents as they search for a new provider. Many community members had reported overflowing trash cans after Haulin’ Trash missed multiple pickups, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services said.
A list of haulers licensed to operate in Fairfax County can be found on the DPWES website. Questions and complaints can be submitted to the county’s Consumer Affairs Branch by phone at 703-222-8435 or online.
“We are encouraging customers affected by this to sign up as quickly as possible with an alternate carrier in the area,” McKay said.
With trash collection issues proving to be an ongoing headache, county officials have started considering alternative approaches to providing services, which is handled by private companies for 90% of residents.
The Board of Supervisors adopted a legislative program for the General Assembly’s 2023 session calling for the state to give localities “additional authority to manage solid waste collection” and remove “onerous requirements” that limit the county’s ability to develop a different model.
Photo via Google Maps
County Approves Automatic Car Tax Filings — “Effective Jan. 1, Fairfax County will now automatically file personal property tax returns for these residents, a change that will benefit owners of approximately 133,000 vehicles per year…[Residents] still must register their vehicles with the DMV within 30 days or face a 10% late-filing penalty.” [Fairfax County Government]
Police Investigate Homicide in Hybla Valley — A man identified as 26-year-old Jordan Summers from Lorton died Monday (Dec. 5) after a community member found him in the 7900 block of Audubon Avenue with a possible gunshot wound to the upper body. Police say community members reported hearing what sounded like gunshots before 8 p.m. that evening. [FCPD]
County Board Passes on Reston Golf Course Developments — Proposals to redevelop Reston’s two golf courses were left off a list of accepted site-specific plan amendment nominations. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn reiterated that “any proposal to change the comprehensive plan for properties from their current respective ‘golf course’ designations would need support from surrounding communities.” [Patch]
Metro Proposes Fare Changes to Address Budget Deficit — Facing a $184 million gap in its budget, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke has put forward a budget plan that eliminates peak fares, while increasing the cost of longer trips, topping out at $6.50. No express service on the Silver Line will be considered this year, as the agency gauges ridership on the new 11.5-mile extension. [DCist]
Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak Reported at West Springfield School — The Fairfax County Health Department “is urging students and parents to remain vigilant and stay home when sick in the aftermath what it’s calling a gastrointestinal illness outbreak at an elementary school last month. In a Nov. 15 email to the Fairfax County School Board…Superintendent Michelle Reid said an increase in GI illnesses was first reported at Keene Mill Elementary Nov. 4.” [WTOP]
Hybla Valley Building Fire Started by Refrigerator — “On Monday, December 5, at 7:07 p.m., units from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the City of Alexandria Fire Department were dispatched for a reported building fire in the 2900 block of Woodlawn Trail in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County…No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.” [FCFRD]
Park Service Shares Details of Proposed GW Parkway Road Diet — The proposed road diet at the Belle View Blvd intersection would turn the right lane into “a pyloned-off through lane toward Old Town Alexandria, while the left lane would become a left-turn-only lane onto Belle Haven and subsequently serve as a dedicated acceleration lane for drivers turning left (northbound) from Belle Haven onto the Parkway.” [On the MoVe]
New Vienna Police Station Not Yet Ready for Move-ins — “The builder still is checking off final details on the ‘punch list.’ Morris said he hopes the department, now ensconced at the former Faith Baptist Church at 301 Center St., S., can move into the new station by year’s end.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
It’s Wednesday — Possible drizzle in the morning. High of 59 and low of 50. Sunrise at 7:15 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
Fairfax County is refreshing its website.
A website redesign is currently underway as the county looks to update “the look and feel based on new design trends to serve our community better,” the county’s digital content lead Greg Licamele told FFXnow in an email.
The new website is expected to be launched in early 2023. No interruptions or downtime are expected for the site or services while work is underway, county officials confirmed.
The project is being led by the Department of Information Technology and was laid out in its 2023 adopted plan.
Residents can take a peek at sample designs for both the desktop and mobile versions and can provide feedback via survey until tomorrow (Dec. 7).
Making sure the website is easy to navigate and accessible on mobile devices is a county priority.
“Mobile devices continue to be the main way people see the county website, we’re also conscious of presenting information that works well on smartphones,” Licamele said.
The refresh for both desktop and mobile includes a new color palette and “contemporary” design tweaks.
It will also add a Spanish option for the Fairfax Virtual Assistant, a chatbot that provides automated information on some topics.
Additionally, the IT department plans to integrate some website content with voice assistant devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
Beyond updating the design and compatibility, the refresh was also prompted by resident requests to have important services and items accessible on the homepage.
“For years, we’ve heard people’s desire to have important services highlighted, which is what our current homepage provides with the Find, Pay, Report and Register section at the top,” Licamele said. “The proposed refreshed design keeps our laser focus on those top tasks people want to find easily, as well as spotlighting a few more priority items such as the county’s Strategic Plan.”
The county’s website was last redesigned five years ago, in 2017. There will be no additional costs associated with the new website update, the county says.
Tysons Galleria is getting a triple dose of Santa Claus this December.
In addition to the previously reported “Pictures with Santa” event, which is now taking place daily near Sweetgreen, the mall will host a Fashion Santa and the return of Black Santa, who proved to be a big draw for Neiman Marcus last year.
Neiman Marcus confirmed to FFXnow that it has partnered again with Santas Just Like Me to bring a Black man dressed as Santa to its Tysons Galleria store (2255 International Drive).
As the first time in its 33-year history that the department store hired a non-white Santa, last year’s appearance morphed from a three-hour storytime to two days of photos to accommodate the demand.
“Neiman Marcus has a storied history of holiday traditions and in-store celebrations that are beloved by our customers, especially as we look to make each moment special this season,” Neiman Marcus General Manager Kathy Leigh said. “We are delighted to have a Santa that represents our community join us again…Customers and their families can share their wish lists, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies, and explore our remarkable holiday gifting assortment.”
The “Black Santa Experience” will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 10-11). Appointments cost $74.95, including the cost of the photos, and can be booked online through Santas Just Like Me.
Just two days later, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, Fashion Santa will strike poses from 6 to 8 p.m. outside Neiman Marcus.
Described as “the suave brother of our favorite jolly holiday icon,” this Santa will host a sneak peek of Jiwa Singapura, the 10,000-square-foot Singaporean and Malaysian restaurant coming to Tysons Galleria’s redeveloped Macy’s wing.
Previously expected to open in October, the restaurant is now slated to open in early 2023, according to a public relations representative.
Jiwa Singapura is being developed by the team behind Cranes, a D.C.-based Spanish and Japanese fusion restaurant. Chef Pepe Moncayo, who’s also working on a concept at Capital One Center, will be present at next week’s event to offer a preview of the planned menu.
“Designed by //3877, Jiwa Singapura takes inspiration from the modern built forms of Singapore with traditional patterns,” the public relations representative said by email. “The space will capture the best of Singapore’s street-food culture and high-end dining, giving the larger D.C.-metro area a taste of some of the Asian city-state’s boldest, nuanced flavors. Expect to see the classics like Hainanese chicken rice, laksa and chili crab.”
Registration for the Fashion Santa event is free, but the event page says donations to Capital Area Food Bank will be encouraged.
Plans for an 86-unit condominium development by Fairfax Square in Tysons will go to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing this afternoon after securing the planning commission’s support last week.
The commission voted 9-0 on Wednesday (Nov. 30) to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve Pulte Group’s Flats at Tysons Corner on the 1953 Gallows Road parking lot, despite county staff’s continued objections to loading spaces being on a street rather than inside the buildings.
“This is an imperfect proposed infill development,” Providence District Commissioner Phil Niedzielski-Eichner said. “However, when I weigh the opportunities against the limitations of this unique and heretofore undevelopable site, I believe the balance is on the side of opportunity and is worthy of our recommendation for approval.”
Four commissioners abstained from the vote, three of them because they missed the Nov. 2 public hearing on Pulte’s application. At that meeting, county planners and residents of the townhomes to the west across Gallows Road worried that the two proposed on-street loading spaces were too small and could impede vehicular travel, potentially exacerbating existing traffic issues on Gallows.
Staff especially opposed a space on a future public road off Gallows that will eventually be extended to Route 7, per the Tysons Comprehensive Plan.
In response to the public hearing, Pulte has revised its plans to consolidate both loading spaces into one larger space on the north side of a private street in the development. The space will be 11 feet wide and 41 feet long, and it will accommodate trash collection trucks as well as residents’ loading needs.
The two planned five-story buildings will have enclosed, central trash receptacles. Pulte has similar waste pickup arrangements at other properties, its representative noted.
“It’s very efficient,” DLA Piper attoreny Antonio Calabrese said. “…It takes about seven or eight minutes for these two buildings.”
Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina seemed skeptical that the design tweaks would resolve concerns about disruptive loading activities.
“It’s not ideal, to say the least, and I’m inclined to support staff’s position on this,” she said, opting to abstain from the vote.
Niedzielski-Eichner, whose district includes Tysons, emphasized his respect for staff’s opinion but argued that the proposed development would help further the comprehensive plan’s vision for an Old Courthouse District as a smaller-scale, mixed-use transition between the nearby single-family homes and Tysons Corner Center.
“With additional infill and redevelopment, portions of this district will evolve into a neighborhood that supports an active 24-hour environment where people go to restaurants or stores after work,” the Tysons plan says.
Noting that he wouldn’t support the development if it was rental apartments, which would see more resident turnover than condos, the commissioner highlighted the promise of 17,000 square feet of park space and a streetscape enhanced with art, trees and landscaping, and pedestrian amenities, including sidewalks and crosswalks.
The condos will include nine workforce dwelling units and six affordable dwelling units.
Pulte has also agreed to work with ArtsFairfax on a mural along Gallows, refined its plan to construct sewer improvements to reflect potential county policy changes, and raised its cap from $2,500 to $5,000 for getting an easement so it can build a sidewalk north to the retail building at 8027 Leesburg Pike.
Niedzielski-Eichner’s argument for the project convinced some other commissioners to support it, despite their reservations about the loading situation.
“It could be and hopefully will be a very positive [development] for this area of Tysons,” said Vice Chair John Ulfelder, who represents the Dranesville District. “As Commissioner Niedzielski-Eichner suggested, maybe it could be a catalyst for additional development by others that will help further this area under the Tysons plan and our goals for Tysons.”
The Fairfax Health District saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases in Thanksgiving’s wake, a reminder that the coronavirus hasn’t disappeared even if the face masks and other health protocols aimed at limiting its spread mostly have.
The district, which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is averaging 238 cases per day for the past week, as of yesterday, according to Virginia Department of Health data.
Cases remain far below previous winters or even the surge seen in late May fueled by omicron subvariants, but there has been an increase since Nov. 19 after a plateau through most of the fall. This is the first time the weekly average has exceeded 200 cases since Sept. 15.
In addition, the district is averaging 1.7 deaths per day from Covid. During the pandemic, it has reported 251,405 cases, 5,149 hospitalizations and 1,702 deaths.
Though past years suggest cold weather exacerbates Covid transmission, Fairfax County is set to close its mass vaccine clinics and mobile testing sites next week.
Citing “low demand,” the Fairfax County Health Department confirmed Friday (Dec. 2) that the startup Curative will stop operating in the county after Thursday, Dec. 15, as first reported by DCist. The partnership launched in July, bringing Curative’s vans with no-cost PCR tests to six locations in the community.
With rapid at-home testing more widely available now, albeit not necessarily for free, residents can find Covid testing options using VDH’s online search tool, calling health care providers directly or contacting the Fairfax County Call Center at 703-324-7404.
“Call takers will discuss their individual situation and what options may work best for them, which could include an appointment at one of the Health Department’s District Offices,” an FCHD spokesperson said. “We also continue to work on establishing additional options for distribution of rapid COVID-19 tests with our community partners. Many testing options are available in the community and the Health Department remains committed to helping residents find an option that works for them.”
According to its website, the county health department offers testing for individuals who have Covid symptoms, lack access to testing options in the community, are identified as close contacts, or have returned from traveling outside the country.
The county will also close its vaccine clinics at the South County Government Center on Wednesday, Dec. 14 and the Fairfax County Government Center on Saturday, Dec. 17. The operating hours for both sites have been reduced since early November.
The increased availability of vaccinations from private health care providers, pharmacies, and other locations has resulted in fewer people seeking shots from the county-run clinics, FCHD says.
“We sincerely appreciate the support from residents who have made the effort to get vaccinated and to stay up to date on their vaccinations by receiving recommended booster doses,” the spokesperson told FFXnow by email. “The more people who are vaccinated, the better the overall protection for our entire population.”
Health officials say getting vaccinated and boosted when eligible is especially critical now, as higher-than-usual levels of other respiratory illnesses, including the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), have been reported, straining capacity at hospitals.
As of yesterday, 1,015,959 Fairfax Health District residents — or 85.8% of the population — have gotten at least one Covid vaccine dose, including 93% of people 18 and older. 940,669 residents, or 79.5%, are fully vaccinated with at least two Pfizer or Moderna shots or a Johnson & Johnson dose.
However, just 21.5% of kids aged 4 months to 5 years old have received a shot, and only one out of every four people eligible for the omicron-targeting booster has actually gotten it, according to FCHD.
Options for obtaining a Covid vaccine can still be found at vaccines.gov. Eventually, the county sees the process becoming routine, like getting an annual flu shot.
“Closing the Health Department clinics is a step in the transition to residents accessing vaccines as they do for other vaccine preventable diseases, utilizing sites such as their doctor’s office, a pharmacy, grocery store, Urgent Care Center, or other site in the community,” the FCHD spokesperson said.
