Tuesday the Board of Supervisors met for a regularly scheduled Board Meeting where we updated the emergency ordinance to allow tents with sides and some clarification on heating to help restaurants and other local businesses stay open through the winter. More information is below.

In addition, this email includes information about recognizing COVID-19 symptoms in children, a newsletter update from Dranesville District School Board member Elaine Tholen, information on watching an update from staff on zMOD at Tuesday's Land Use Policy Committee and how to get involved in VolunteerFest.

Please note that tomorrow is the last day to apply to vote by mail. Early voting will be going through October 31 but if you would like to receive a ballot in the mail you must submit your request by Friday, October 23, at 5:00 p.m. See this and more voting information below.

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

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors cleared hurdles for restaurants and fitness and exercise centers to operate in cold weather during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Board voted to allow businesses to continue outdoor dining, fitness and exercise activities with enclosed, heated tents. Businesses have been able to install open-sided tents outside their storefronts since May, which allowed them to operate while maintaining proper social distancing and thus reducing the spread of COVID-19.

The new amendments build on the current emergency ordinance. They will allow tents with sides, clarify the circumstances when a permit from the fire official is required and add provisions regarding the use of heaters, both inside and outside of tents.

The county made the decision to relax the permitting process to reduce the stress on businesses working to revitalize the county’s economy while allowing county staff to devote their limited resources to maintaining continuity in government instead of processing an excessive number of applications.

The ordinance will remain in effect no longer than six months after the Board terminates the local declaration of emergency.

Learn more about resources available for businesses operating in Fairfax County on the COVID-19 for Businesses, Organizations and Employees webpage here.

Business owners interested in learning more about the newly amended ordinance and other services available can visit the Department of Planning and Development.

Fewer children get sick with COVID-19 and often the symptoms are mild as compared to adults. However, it is important to remember that children can get COVID-19 and spread it to others.

Here are three things parents need to know about COVID-19 symptoms in children.

1. Children Often Have Similar Symptoms of COVID-19 as Adults

In children, symptoms are frequently mild and appear similar to colds, strep throat or allergies. Most commonly, children with COVID-19 have fever or cough. Children are also more likely to show symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain (stomachache) and other gastrointestinal problems than adults.

COVID-19 signs and symptoms include:

Children may have any of those symptoms – if they show symptoms at all. Research has shown that some children are asymptomatic, meaning they do not show any symptoms. Even if a child (or an adult) does not have any symptoms, they can still spread the virus to others.

Tools are available from the Virginia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help you check symptoms and make decisions about seeking care.

2. Watch for Severe Symptoms

Some children do get severely ill from COVID-19. Babies under 1 year old and children with certain underlying conditions may be more likely than other children to have severe illness from COVID-19. More information and updates for people with certain medical conditions is available from the CDC, here.

Monitor your child’s health daily and seek emergency care if they have of these emergency warning signs:

Additionally, parents should be aware of a rare but serious medical condition associated with COVID-19 in children called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Contact your child’s healthcare provider right away if your child has any of the following symptoms of MIS-C:

3. Don’t Ignore the “Little Things”

Now is not the time to ignore a runny nose. Children (and adults) need to stay home when they are sick. Call your child’s healthcare provider to discuss whether your child needs to be evaluated or tested for COVID-19. Testing is available across the Fairfax Health District.

Take steps to help prevent your child from getting and spreading COVID-19. These actions may seem simple, but reminding children to do the following is important:

For more information about COVID-19 and children, click here.

Elaine Tholen, Dranesville District School Board Representative, distributed her newsletter earlier this week. In this newsletter, Elaine discusses return to school plans, TJHSST Admissions, 2020 FCPS Virtual College Week, virtual learning resources and more. To see the announcement and ways to watch the meeting click here.

In 2017, Fairfax County launched a major initiative to modernize its Zoning Ordinance that was first established over 40 years ago. Dubbed “zMOD,” the effort will help the County carry out its strategic plan to grow and diversify its economy. The proposed new ordinance consolidates the current 20 articles and six appendices into nine articles and one appendix. It also includes substantive revisions to the uses, including adding new use names; consolidating uses; creating new uses where appropriate; developing new definitions; and making revisions to use regulations.

October 27 at 1:30 p.m. 

streamed live on Channel 16 and recording available online after the meeting

A 20-minute summary video of the Consolidated Draft and can be found here.

To reach the Department of Planning and Development staff, please send comments to dpdzMODcomments@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Other questions or concerns? Contact Ben Wiles in Supervisor Foust's office at Benjamin.Wiles@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-356-0551.

For over 20 years, Volunteer Fairfax has hosted its annual fall volunteering event, slated for October 24 and 25, VolunteerFest is a community-wide event that engages volunteers of all ages and abilities in a weekend of service to support local nonprofit partners and government agencies. Teens will have fun working on these projects while earning service hours and it’s also a great way for families and small groups to serve together.

This year, in order to provide opportunities for everyone who wants to serve and to get needed donations to nonprofits, Volunteer Fairfax is offering new “at-home projects.” Volunteers can choose from a wide variety of projects that fit their interest area and budget: for example; write holiday cards for vulnerable populations, purchase materials and make no-sew fleece blankets for Veterans in hospice care, bake homemade treats for rescue dogs, and much more! 

For those who can and desire to serve in-person, Volunteer Fairfax also has some smaller socially distanced opportunities available, such as assisting with local food drives and grounds beautification projects. For a complete listing of projects, please visit Volunteer Fairfax’s website here. It’s easy to sign-up by creating a volunteer profile. 

If you have any questions about VolunteerFest, please contact Hollie Gordon at hgordon@volunteerfairfax.org.

If you want to vote by mail in the November 3, general election, the last day to apply is Friday, October 23, at 5:00 p.m.

The quickest, most secure way to apply is online through the state’s portal. Act now because it takes time to process your application, as well as mail your ballot to you.

You have three options for returning your ballot:

If you are returning your ballot in a drop-off box, please be sure to put “Envelope B” inside the prepaid, return envelope — even though you’re not mailing it back. This will help elections staff to more quickly process your ballot when it’s received. However, your mail-in ballot will still be counted even if you returned your ballot inside the “B” envelope only.

You can check when your ballot has been received by the Fairfax County Office of Elections by looking on the state’s portal. Once you log in, look at your voter history. When you use a drop-off box, Ballot Scout won’t indicate if your ballot was received because this tool only tracks ballots returned by mail.

For your vote-by-mail ballot to count, it’s critical to put your ballot INSIDE “Envelope B,” and you must fill out the highlighted items on it. Learn more about other important actions to properly return your ballot here.

This and more information is available on the Office of Elections website here.

FAIRFAX COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER

Great Falls Library is only open on Saturdays (Oct. 17, 24 and 31) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This and more information is available on the Office of Elections website here.

Fairfax County is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Residents are strongly encouraged to utilize the resources listed below: