Community Notice from
Dranesville Supervisor John Foust
Dear Neighbor,

As we head into the weekend, this email includes information on new targeted measures Governor Northam announced yesterday. I have also included information from the Health Department on the benefits and science behind some of the future vaccines under development.

The Fairfax County Park Authority will host a virtual public meeting on December 17 to discuss the planning process and potential revisions to Phase III of the Clemyjontri Park Master Plan. Details about the meeting are included below.

This email also includes information on a new, weekly, broadcast on Fairfax County's Spanish Facebook Page, and on how to watch the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra production of The Nutcracker from home. In addition this email includes a press release from MWAA announcing all electronic tolling on the Dulles Toll Road starting January 1.

Please share this email with your friends and neighbors, and do not hesitate to contact my office if we can be of assistance; email Dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-356-0551.

Sincerely,
John
Gov. Northam Announces New Targeted Measures
Limits Social Gatherings to 10

Gov. Ralph Northam announced new targeted measures today to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia.

The new executive order calls for staying at home from midnight to 5 a.m., imposes a universal mask requirement and lowers the limit on social gatherings to 10 people.

The governor said he’s acting to stem the highest number of COVID cases since the pandemic began. There are an average 4,000 new cases per day now—or four times the number in May. Hospitalizations have also spiked to about 83% during the past four weeks.

The new order takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, December 14, continuing through January 31, 2021, and directs the following:

  • Staying at home between midnight and 5 a.m.
  • Universal mask wearing: Everyone age 5 and up is required to wear a face mask indoors when not at their own home and outdoors when it’s not possible to social distance. This order is consistent with the CDC’s new guidelines, and it expands the current statewide mask mandate that has been in place since May 29.
  • Social gatherings limited to 10: Both public and private social gatherings must be limited to 10 people, down from the current cap of 25. Social gatherings include, but are not limited to, parties, celebrations or other social events, regardless of whether they occur indoors or outdoors. This limit does not apply to religious services.
  • Restaurants to continue operating under existing strict limitations: The new order continues the existing limits on restaurants, breweries and other dining establishments. These include stopping alcohol sales at 10 p.m. and closing at midnight. Under the current rules, restaurants are already effectively operating at 50% capacity, now restaurants employees—whether they work in the kitchen or serve diners—must wear masks.
  • Reducing spectators for recreational sports: Spectators are limited to 25 people for recreational sports played indoors and there is a limit of two guests per player for outdoor sports.

While the new measures are temporary, they may need to be extended, the governor said.

In the meantime, the governor called for increased enforcement against businesses that aren’t following the rules. State agencies, primarily the Virginia Department of Health and Alcohol and Beverage Control, have issued 181 enforcement letters.

For more information see the Governor's press release here, and the full text of Executive Order Seventy-Two here.
Know the Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
In Fairfax County, and across the nation, we are looking forward to COVID-19 vaccines becoming available for our population. While we await more information about when the first vaccines will arrive, how many doses we will get and who is in the group targeted to get vaccine first, we do know that there are many benefits to getting the vaccine once it is available.

COVID-19 Vaccination Will Help Keep You from Getting COVID-19
  • A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine protects individuals who are vaccinated by stimulating their body to produce antibodies – substances that help you fight off the virus if you are exposed.
  • Based on early information from COVID-19 vaccine trials and from what we know about vaccines for other diseases, getting a COVID-19 vaccine may also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.
  • COVID-19 vaccines are being carefully evaluated in clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will carefully review information from those trials and authorize or approve a vaccine only if it is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19.
  • People also can develop antibodies and be protected against COVID-19 after they become ill with the disease. But experts don’t know how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you without having to experience sickness.

COVID-19 Vaccination Will Help Protect Your Loved Ones and the Community
  • Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you, including people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. If you don’t become infected, you can’t spread COVID-19 to others.
  • If enough people in the community are vaccinated, this creates “community immunity” where someone with COVID-19 doesn’t spread infection because others around them are protected. For community immunity to occur for COVID-19, scientists estimate that between 6 and 7 of every 10 people must be protected.
  • Because vaccine supplies, when they become available will be limited, we will not reach this level of protection for several months. Therefore, it remains important that individuals continue taking actions to mitigate the spread of virus – washing hands, wearing masks, socially distancing and staying home and away from others if ill.

COVID-19 Vaccination Will Be an Important Tool to Help Stop the Pandemic
  • Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best defense against COVID-19.

Focus on Facts: mRNA Vaccines
While we await details about allocations and distribution, we do know that the initial vaccines we receive will be “mRNA” vaccines. So, now is the time to begin learning about how these types of vaccines work.
  • They cannot give someone COVID-19.
  • mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19.
  • They do not affect or interact with our DNA in any way.
  • mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic material) is kept.
  • The cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA soon after it is finished using the instructions.
  • They are being held to the same rigorous safety and effectiveness standards as all other types of vaccines in the United States.

To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is those vaccinated gain this protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19.

For more information on how COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Work click here.
Facebook Live Series On The County’s Spanish Facebook Page
Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs invites you to tune in this Friday, December 11 at 12:30 p.m. on Facebook Live, for the first of a weekly broadcast with Grelia Steele, Communications and Language Access Manager, to discuss topics affecting the Latinx community. This Friday's segment features Dr. René Nájera, epidemiologist at the Fairfax County Department of Health, who will discuss information on the COVID-19 vaccine
Clemyjontri Master Plan Revision Meeting
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) will host a public meeting to discuss the planning process and potential revisions to the Clemyjontri Park Master Plan.

Clemyjontri Park and its vision were made possible through the generosity of benefactor Adele Lebowitz and the Lebowitz family, who donated the property to the Park Authority in 2000 with the desire to provide a comprehensive play experience for all children in a barrier-free setting.
The master plan approved in 2002 envisioned development of the park in three phases; the first two, which included the playground and secondary parking lot have been completed. As a revision to Phase III (community use of the Lebowitz house), McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) and the Park Authority are exploring development of a new arts center at Clemyjontri Park to further its arts and educational mission. The ​proposed project would feature reuse and redevelopment of the existing residence on the property, as well as new construction, for gallery exhibition space and arts education classroom facilities.
 
MPA envisions an all-inclusive art center, which provides a creative respite for the community that is integrated into, yet distinct from, Clemyjontri Park. The center could potentially exhibit the work of contemporary artists, offer arts instruction and classroom space, and include public artwork in the park. ​No changes to the park’s playground or other recreational amenities are planned.
 
The meeting will be held online in a virtual setting so that members of the public will be able to participate safely from their own homes: 
 
Event Details
Thursday, December 17, 2020
at 7:00 p.m.
OR
via telephone: 855-925-2801 (access code: 8950)
 
The meeting will feature a presentation about the site’s current conditions and proposed arts center concept. Following the presentation, the meeting will continue with a moderated public discussion to allow for questions. Comments or questions may also be submitted after the meeting via email at parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.
 
To view the 2002 planning documents and maps, more information about Clemyjontri Park, and to sign up for email updates on this project go to the Clemyjontri Park Master Plan Revision website here.
FSO & Fairfax Ballet present The Nutcracker
Holiday Broadcast on Fairfax County Television
Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker
Featuring:
Christopher Zimmerman, Music Director
&
Andrea Cook, Artistic Director

This production will be televised on Fairfax County Government Channel 1016 (Cox in HD), Channel 16 (Verizon/Comcast) and streamed now through December 27. Every Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Dulles Toll Road Goes Cashless
All electronic tolling will begin January 1, 2021

In response to customers’ preference for electronic toll payments, the Dulles Toll Road will be going permanently cashless on January 1, 2021. Manual toll collecting was ended on April 6, as part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s response to COVID-19. This change will now become permanent with the road moving to all electronic tolling.

In addition, loose change will no longer be accepted and tollbooth change baskets will be removed.

All lanes on the Dulles Toll Road are equipped with electronic tolling, which accept the following forms of payment:

  • Any lane can be used with a valid E-ZPass account or other form of electronic tolling. Customers can visit E-ZPass Virginia for information on how to obtain an E-ZPass. If toll-lane cameras identify a license plate associated with an E-ZPass account, that account will be charged for the transaction even if an E-ZPass is not present in the vehicle. To make it easier to get an E-ZPass, the minimum opening account balance has been temporarily reduced to $20.00 per transponder (from $35.00) for online and phone applications. E-Z Pass also offers a reloadable Virginia E-Z Pass Card, these can be purchased your local CVS Pharmacy and 7-11 Convenience Stores.  
  • The GoToll, Slora and Peasey Drive On smartphone apps are also accepted as payment. 
  • Motorists passing through all toll plaza lanes without electronic payment will be sent a payment notice by mail. Missed tolls which are paid within six days of the violation will not be charged an administrative fee. Customers are encouraged to visit the Virginia Department of Transportation’s online toll violation payment website for information on proactively paying missed tolls.  

Customers should contact the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Customer Service Center at 1-888-860-9361 for additional information on toll roads in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Stay Informed about COVID-19
Fairfax County is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Residents are strongly encouraged to utilize the resources listed below: