City Of Alexandria Gives Updates On COVID-19, Changes To Metrobus Services

Press release from the City of Alexandria:

Dec 23, 2020 at 4:36 PM

City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Changes to Metrobus Services; Daily News Release Holiday Schedule

The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) strongly urge residents to stay home as much as possible during the current surge of COVID-19 cases in our community. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are increasing in Alexandria. Take immediate and ongoing action to control the spread by wearing a

mask over both your nose and mouth, staying home unless it’s necessary to go out, and washing your hands frequently. Without these critical steps, additional lives may be at risk.

Changes to Metrobus Services

Effective January 3, 2021, Metrobus will
resume fare collection and front-door boarding. In an effort to protect drivers from crowding and possible exposure to COVID-19, Metro suspended front-door boarding and fare collection. When fare collection resumes, the cost will be $2 per trip by cash or SmarTrip.

Contactless payment is available for some mobile devices, with more contactless options coming soon. The return to front-door access and fare collection are consistent with public transportation services of other major U.S. cities.

Daily News Release Holiday Schedule

This daily COVID-19 news release will not be published on City holidays unless there is a major announcement to share. In observance of the Christmas holiday, all City of Alexandria government
offices will be closed on Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25, and the COVID-19 news release will resume on Monday, December 28. Daily data will continue to be available at
alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.

Correction to Eviction Assistance Contact Information

A December 22 news release included incorrect contact information. Alexandria landlords who have residents in need of rental assistance should contact Virginia Housing at
RMRP@VirginiaHousing.com for assistance or visit
virginiahousing.com/rmrp. As of December 15, the centralized Rent and Mortgage Relief Program (RMRP) Support Center is now processing all tenant and homeowner applications for assistance paying past due and current rent and mortgages as a result of COVID-19.

Alexandria COVID-19 Data At-a-Glance

The chart below, containing the seven-day moving average number of COVID-19 cases and the daily and cumulative case and fatality counts, provides detailed information about how preventive measures are impacting Alexandria's response to the pandemic. An interactive version is available at

alexandriava.gov/114883. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, are available through links at
alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.

AHD estimates that approximately 1 in 15 Alexandrians who tested positive for COVID-19 have required hospitalization. An estimated 66% of Virginia adults who become infected never have symptoms. The best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 remain wearing a mask in public, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others, and frequently washing your hands or carrying and using hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethyl alcohol. Help your loved ones and neighbors by calling your close contacts if you test positive for COVID-19. Learn who to call and what to say from AHD's “

What to Do If You Get Sick” guidance, which is available in
Spanish,
Amharic,
Arabic, and
Farsi or this brief
video. Download the Virginia Department of Health’s
COVIDWISE app to be quickly and anonymously notified of likely exposure to the virus.

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This news release is available at
alexandriava.gov/119507

This press release was produced by the City of Alexandria.The views expressed here are the author’s own.