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PAGE 4 | JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Unvaccinated People & Those Who Do Not Meet Exemption Criteria May Need Masks
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As Fairfax’s immediate neighbor, the City of Falls Church is currently watching what the county is doing very closely, F.C. City Manager Wyatt Shields told the News-Press this week. but no decisions have yet been made here.
That could change as early as next week, however, when the City Council convenes on Monday. Shields said the Council may echo the Fairfax policy approach, which would be to task the chief executive (in F.C.’s case, Shields) with developing a policy. But given how fast things are moving on this, the implementation of a more rapid response may be forthcoming.
As of now, it is not until the Council’s Aug. 9 meeting that Colin Brody of the county’s health department will, once again, show up for a briefing of the Council on the development of the pandemic in this region. As the City of Falls Church falls within the county’s health district, the policies that impact the county are directly felt in the City.
“These matters are continually being discussed here,” Shields told the News-Press. “Our goal is to keep our employees and the public safe and the City moving forward.”
Decisions about general mandates are the purview of the governor’s office, and the City’s powers are limited to public properties and City employees.
In Fairfax’s case, Hill, the county executive, is now evaluating how to best carry out the policy the Board of Supervisors tasked him with earlier this week. Any mandates will allow for health and religious exemptions, but would require that all who don’t get vaccinated or meet the exemption criteria either wear masks or agree to weekly testing.
“Getting vaccinated is an act of public charity,” McKay said. “It’s not just about protecting you, but protecting everyone that you work with, every county resident that seeks our services, and everyone that works in our community.”
He added, “Keep in mind there are thousands of kids in elementary school who don’t have the luxury of getting vaccinated. We need to do it for them.”
In a statement to his board this week, McKay said, “In a little less than eight months, the Fairfax County Health Department, along with trusted partners across the community, have vaccinated over 75 percent of people 18 and older against Covid-19.
“This is a major accomplishment that we all should be proud of. In addition, we have made huge strides in vaccinating our Black and Brown communities that were hardest hit by Covid-19 through equity clinics and one-on-one engagement. We know, however, that our work is far from done, as we continue to vaccinate as many people as possible,” he wrote.
He continued, “We know vaccinations save lives. Significant evidence shows that the vaccine is safe and effective against most Covid-19 hospitalizations and death.
“As a local government, we serve residents every day in a variety of ways. None of us wanted to be in this position, but as we are seeing the Delta variant surging in unvaccinated communities across the country we, as a county, have to do all we can to protect our community and will work to continue to increase vaccination rates, including that of our employees.
“We must keep in mind that our youngest children remain exposed to Covid-19 because they are unable to be vaccinated. We all know how important it will be to fully reopen schools and our economy. Our ability to do so is dependent on people getting vaccinated and feeling safe.
“As the county executive finalizes his return to in-person work for our employees this fall, I move that we thoroughly explore Covid-19 vaccine requirements for all Fairfax County employees, and to consider a requirement mandating face masks and weekly testing for those employees who do not meet exemptions and continue to refuse the vaccine.”
Status Update on Monday, July 26 City of Falls Church Vaccine Data
Date Doses Administered At Least One Dose Fully Vaccinated
Monday, July 26 17,780
Monday, July 19 17,695
Monday, July 12 17,640
End of June 16,836
End of May 15,516
9,524* 8,768
(65.2% of population) (60% of population) 9,482* 8,722
(64.9% of population) (59.2% of population) 9,501 8,608
(65.0% of population) (58.9% of population) 9,447 8,423
(64.6% of population) (57.6% of population)
9,813 7,033
(61% of population) (48.1% of population)
*This data point is lower than the previous week because VDH discovered the individuals were outside the City limits, in the Fairfax County part of Falls Church.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
LOCAL
JULY 29 – AUGUST 4, 2021 | PAGE 5
Stormwater Assistance One of the Top Preferences for Federal Funding
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approaches, long-term transformational impact and social equity and resilience to public health emergencies, with stormwater and sanitary sewer improvements and improvements to public spaces the two top priorities, followed by broadband, assistance to residents and improvements to City facilities next.
The allocation of funds coming out of the Richmond special session will involve collaboration with the F.C. City Public Schools, dissemination of information to the public and a town hall meeting in September.
F.C. Councilman David Snyder, head of the Council’s Legislative Committee, said in a statement yesterday, “The key to state funding is not just the general overall priorities but the formulas used to deliver the funds. So we are focused not only on the general categories that will be discussed and decided upon in Richmond but also how the funds under each category are actually delivered to localities.”
Mester told the News-Press that “per capita and direct allocation formulas benefit the City the best,” as well as programs that target vulnerable at-risk communities.
In some cases, she said, funds would simply be allocated, in others there will be a competitive process.
Overall, stormwater assistance is at the top of the City’s list of priorities then heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and other improvements to the schools, small business assistance and workforce development.
Involved are emergency assistance (including rent and utility assistance), human services grants for financial assistance, food and software to assist vulnerable populations (through the Community Services Fund), assistance for sewer delinquent accounts, recreation and parks and daycare, business grants, school mental health services, school testing and vaccinations, personal protective equipment, general government testing and vaccinations, pandemic related HVAC or facility modifications, installation of permanent mail drop boxes, contactless plumbing fixtures for restrooms, pandemic facility security at City Hall and the library, homeless shelter pandemic related modifications, contactless traffic signal control and a contactless recycling center.
Also included is essential worker supplemental pay for front line staff including public safety, public health, maintenance workers and other staff interfacing directly with the public during the pandemic.
STATE SENATOR DICK SASLAW (left) and Delegate Marcus Simon (second from right), attend a Labor Day campaign event in 2019. The two will be going to Richmond for a special session next week focused on how to spend federal relief money. (Photo: News-Press)
