After being overwhelmed by behavioral health-related calls for service, the Alexandria Co Response Team (ACORP) pilot program is being expanded.
The pilot program soft-launched last fall, with the ACORP team (a licensed behavioral health clinician and specially trained officer) responding to 145 (16%) of behavioral health-related calls for service between October 2021 and February 2022, according to a report that goes before City Council on Tuesday (May 10).
May is on track to be the second worst month of the year for new cases of Covid.
As of May 9 (Monday), reported cases climbed to 32,237, an increase of 550 cases since this time last week. The seven-day average of cases is 78.6, up 68.7 last week, and the seven-day positivity rate for Covid tests is 12.4%, up from 10.2%.
Alexandria has started the month of May with a high number of new cases.
As of May 2 (Monday), reported cases of Covid climbed to 31,687, an increase of 407 cases since this time last week.
It’s been a bad month for COVID-19 in Alexandria, as the number of new cases has eclipsed those reported in February, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
As of Sunday (April 25) there were 1,229 new cases reported this month, a 107% increase over the 593 cases reported in March. There were also 1,227 cases reported in February, which was a steep decline after a record-setting 12,822 cases in January.
The Alexandria Health Department is asking residents to stay up to date on vaccinations and to travel safe this spring break.
The guidance was issued in the city’s weekly COVID-19 update.
There has been another death and 137 new cases of the virus in Alexandria over the last week, bringing the total number of deaths to 185 and the number of cases to 29,946, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
Still, the pandemic is winding down in Alexandria. One of the biggest signs is the fact that it’s been nearly two weeks since the Alexandria Health Department last posted a COVID-19 update. The city last released Covid information on March 8 — a stark difference from nearly two years of daily updates from the city, and a surge in January that saw a record-setting 12,822 positive cases.
As of Monday (March 7), Alexandria City Public Schools staff are no longer required to wear face masks in schools.
Staff were informed of the rule change in an email on Friday (March 4) that wearing masks in ACPS facilities and vehicles is optional, with few exceptions. Additionally, all ACPS staff (not including substitutes) will get paid emergency leave if unable to work due to COVID-19.
Wearing face masks in government buildings is now optional in Alexandria, as nearly two years of the pandemic restriction winds to a close.
The decision, which was announced on March 1, comes after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave Alexandria and its neighboring jurisdictions a “Low” community level of transmission.
The hour-long presentation at Alexandria City High School focused on new programs to offer free associate degrees to Alexandria City High School graduates, improving graduation rates for Hispanic males and sticking to the ACPS 2025 Equity For All Strategic Plan. The speech did not focus on more controversial issues, such as Covid-related mandates or public safety issues within the school system.
“Our strategic plan takes us through 2025 and I know it sounds like it’s far away, but we’re already in 2022,” Hutchings said. “And we will still have much to accomplish to fulfill all of these accomplishments.”
Alexandria City Public Schools told students in today’s morning announcements to respect the decisions of their peers who choose to not wear face masks in schools or on buses.
Senate Bill 739 went into effect today, allowing for Virginia parents to elect to opt their children out of mask wearing — reversing course on a rule that has been in effect since the beginning days of the pandemic in 2020.
Alexandria, Fairfax County and Arlington now have low Covid transmission levels, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC’s last update on community levels was on Feb. 25. The Virginia Department of Health still lists the city’s transmission rate as high, although the categorization has not been updated since Feb. 19. Alexandria has experienced high transmission since December.
