Jan. 13, 2021
Dear Neighbors,
This week has been a busy one on the vaccination front. With the Governor and the Virginia Department of Health announcing last Friday the commencement of the Phase 1b rollout on Monday, the vaccine registration system operated by the Fairfax County Health Department was flooded with literally hundreds of thousands of calls. I share your frustration that the county was not prepared for the enormous response. Improvements to the vaccine registration and scheduling system have been made and are ongoing. As chair of the Board of Supervisor's IT Committee, I put this at the top of yesterday's meeting and you can watch the video of the meeting here. One of the most repeated questions we have heard is regarding when an eligible resident can expect to hear back with an appointment after filling out the online pre-registration form. Unfortunately, there is not yet a simple answer. In order to schedule a vaccine appointment, the Health Department has to know how much vaccine they will receive and have on hand. Our Health Department is often getting significant lower amounts of vaccine doses requested or expected. It is an enormous day-to-day planning challenge. The current plan is that you will be contacted for an appointment when the Health Department knows they have a sufficient number of doses. Not the answer many of us want, but we must try to remain patient during what is the largest vaccine deployment in our country's history. That said, I have been assured by the county executive that efforts are underway to improve our processes and it is the county's top priority to get vaccines into arms as soon as possible. I also promise to provide you with important updates as soon as they are available via this newsletter email list, as well as my Twitter and Facebook platforms. Information is constantly being changed and updated, so I encourage you to refer to the resources, which include FAQs.
Respectfully, Walter |
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Today's COVID-19 Updates (Jan. 13) |
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If you have questions about COVID-19, you can contact the Fairfax County Health Department: - Call 703-267-3511 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends)
- Email ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov (monitored 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays)
Vaccine Updates
Testing
Data Dashboards and Charts
Current Number of Cases in the Fairfax Health District - Daily reported case information for the Fairfax Health District: here and scroll down to get to ZIP Code data.
- Daily reported case information throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia: here and ZIP Code data look for Data Download bar.
COVID-19 Case Information Chart (as of publication on Jan. 13) |
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A Message for MLK Jr. Day |
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Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and a very timely opportunity to reflect on his contributions to the way we govern and are governed, and his contributions to society at large. Our country is going through a racial reckoning that has taken community discussion well beyond individual acts of racism and disrespect. Similar to the days of Dr. King, we are again looking at systemic racism – institutional practices borne of history and neglect, and outcomes that must be questioned. With this discussion comes anxiety for some but also hope for the future. I think he would have been proud that when shown the raw brutality on our screens this past summer, we were enraged by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and too many others, and finally, we said enough. Like Dr. King, we are seeking to understand the root causes and the dialogue with our residents continues. We still have a long journey, but I believe we are going in the right direction. Dr. King said “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” Let us heed that advice and be passive no more.
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Transportation and Land Use |
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Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force Meeting on Jan. 25, 7 to 9 p.m. To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the task force, visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study webpage. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, Jan. 25, 7 to 9 p.m. Details and the agenda will be found here. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use access code: 179 456 6385. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. (Please note each meeting has a unique link and call-in information.) You will also be able to watch a live stream of the meeting on YouTube Live, which is also where you can watch the Jan. 11 meeting.
Hunter Mill District Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting, Jan. 27 The next TAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, 8 to 10 a.m. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use access code:179 390 8392. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. Learn more about the Fairfax County TAC.
Help Shape the Future of Bus Service in Fairfax County; Survey and Meetings The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) continually evaluates bus service on Fairfax Connector to ensure that it is meeting the needs of our residents. Outreach on a ten-year Transit Strategic Plan is beginning and you are encouraged to provide input through a survey and three virtual meetings held Jan. 12-14. Learn more.
Fairfax County Park Authority Pickleball Study Open through Jan. 24. The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) seeks the public's input on how to provide for the emerging sport of pickleball and invites participation in an online survey. The survey will be open through January 24, 2021. More information. |
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Reston's Station 25 Construction Continues Construction on the new Fire Station 25 in Reston is coming along nicely. Estimated occupancy is the Summer of 2021. Funding for the new station was included on the 2015 Public Safety Bond Referendum approved by voters. Learn more.
Victim Services Webpage The Fairfax County Police Department's Victim Services Division recently launched a new webpage, which provides crime victims and the community access to information and resources specific to crime victim rights and support. The new webpage ensures 24/7 access to online information, victim rights forms and resources.
Reston District Station Town Hall Feb. 4 to Introduce Data Dashboard The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) is hosting a series of virtual town halls to present new interactive GIS-based data dashboard. It is a tool designed from community input and rooted in the principles of transparency and fair and impartial policing. Key data points include arrests, citations and warnings. FCPD training and policies related to the data sets will be discussed. The Reston District Station town hall is Thursday, Feb. 4. at 5 p.m. You can join the Zoom meeting here. |
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Food insecurity continues to be a big concern in our community. To help our vulnerable families, Stuff the Bus will be returning with location countywide on two Saturdays Jan. 30 and Saturday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Buses will be parked at two locations in the Hunter Mill District. You can bring your nonperishable food donations to: North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston Or Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Ave. East, Vienna
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County Government Closed on Monday, Jan. 18 and Wednesday, Jan. 20 Fairfax County Government is closed on Monday, Jan. 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and on Wednesday, Jan. 20 for the Inauguration. Learn more.
Park Authority Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Fee Adjustments The Fairfax County Park Authority has scheduled its annual community comment meeting on the agency’s proposed fee adjustments. The public is invited to share their perspectives on the proposals with the Park Authority Board either at the meeting, via correspondence or by email. The virtual public meeting is Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 at 5 p.m. Learn more.
More Than 5 Million Pounds of Glass Collected at County's Purple Bins in 2020 Congratulations to the residents who helped the county recycle more than five million pounds of glass at our 15 purple bins located across the county. Learn more about the purple bin program, including locations.
FCPS Receives First Electric Bus Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) received its first electric bus yesterday, Jan. 12, at the Stonecroft Transportation Center. The bus is the first of eight buses that are being funded by a grant from Dominion Energy. The remaining buses are expected to be delivered by the end of the month. Learn more. |
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Stay Informed and In Touch |
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Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn 703-478-0283, TTY 711 |
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