Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson wants Governor Ralph Northam to include retail, personal care and restaurant workers in phase 1B of coronavirus vaccine distribution.
“Not only are these workers vital to the economic health and vitality of our communities, but the are, more often than not, those in our community who are bearing the burden of COVID-19 more acutely than others,” Wilson wrote in a letter to Northam.
Beyer Wants Federal Employees to Get Vaccine — “Our region has the largest concentration of federal employees. Many qualify as essential workers with local jurisdictions responsible for vaccinations. We’re asking the federal government to vaccinate feds via a separate federalized allocation to speed up vaccinations in the DMV.” [Twitter]
Alexandria Vaccinates 20,000 Residents — “On a hopeful note, Alexandria also hit the milestone this week of more than 20,000 residents vaccinated. AHD and private providers continue to vaccinate and work to schedule the tens of thousands of residents who pre-registered for vaccines.” [City of Alexandria]
More Than 20K Vaccines Distributed in Alexandria — “The latest update from the City on COVID-19: 20,726 doses administered to Alexandrians; 4,666 Alexandrians fully vaccinated (2.9%); Positive tests up 19 to 10,056 in the City (259 in last week); 7-day Positivity Rate steady at 6.4%; 1 new hospitalization.” [Twitter]
Beyer Elected Chair of House Committee of Space and Aeronautics — “Really exciting news: my colleagues have elected me chair of @HouseScience‘s Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee! I am ready and eager to boldly go forward with an ambitious space policy agenda in the 117th Congress.” [Twitter]
Alexandria’s continued unemployment claims continued a monthlong streak of increases going into February, as the number of initial claims continues to decline.
There have been increases in continued claims for a month in Alexandria. The Virginia Employment Commission reports that there were 1,442 continued claims for the week ending Feb. 6, a 5% increase from the previous week’s total of 1,367 claims.
GoFundMe Raises $29K for Family of Bishop Ireton Student — “It is with a heavy heart that the BI community mourns the death of our fellow classmate Andrew Benson, who was taken from us much too soon. He was one of the nicest people we knew and was a member of the BI varsity soccer team. He played fullback and was an avid soccer player and was one of the hardest workers on the team. He always had a smile on his face and he never failed to make you smile with a joke or make a stressful or hard day a little better. Please donate if you can or remember him in your thoughts and prayers. All proceeds go to the family and to help with funeral arrangements.” [GoFundMe]
Holy Cow Honors Sue Kovalsky with ‘Burger of the Moment’ — “Sue, we appreciate you! This #BOTM is for you.” [Facebook]
Virginia Launching Statewide Vaccine Pre-Registration System — “The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will launch a statewide system to help citizens pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine. The new system will supersede the Alexandria Health Department’s own pre-registration form. It will be operational on Tuesday, Feb 16 at 8 a.m.” [Zebra]
Alexandria Firefighters Oppose Collective Bargaining Agreement — “Employees and labor unions within the City of #Alexandiava attempted to sit down with the City Manager to come up with fair Collective Bargaining agreement. He ignored the employee’s voices and made a management friendly agreement.” [Twitter]
Beyer Says COVID Relief Legislation Will Save Economy — “Today we answered the call of the American people by advancing big, ambitious legislation in @WaysMeansCmte to help end the pandemic and save the economy. We are working to meet the nation’s need with the scale and speed that this crisis requires.” [Twitter]
Northam Sends Letter to FEMA Asking for Increased Assistance With Vaccination — “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser sent a two-page letter to FEMA and HHS leaders requesting increased support for COVID-19 vaccination efforts of essential federal employees. It specifically asks that the federal government vaccinate its own workers, including contractors and WMATA employees.” [Zebra]
Alexandria’s continued claims for unemployment increased by 11% for the week ending Jan. 30, marking the second straight week of double-digit percentage increases in continued claims.
The Virginia Employment Commission reports that there were 1,367 continued claims for the week ending Jan. 30, an increase from the previous week‘s total of 1,231 claims, which was a 10% jump increase over the week ending Jan. 16.
Beyer Says Trump Defense Weak During Senate Impeachment Hearing — “The House Managers established that Trump lied about the election, inspired the attackers to come to DC, directed them to the Capitol, and did nothing for hours to stop their violent attack. Senate Republicans objected, strenuously, to details of a phone call. And nothing else.” [Twitter]
CVS Starts Offering COVID-19 Vaccines in Alexandria and Fairfax County — “People interested in a vaccine are allowed to register through both the city or county health departments and through CVS at the same time, but local health department officials are pleading with people who get their vaccine through CVS to remove themselves from the health department waiting lists so others can get vaccinated faster.” [Alexandria Living]
Beyer Says Images of Capitol Siege Should be Viewed by Everyone — “These images of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history are disturbing. But these things happened, and we cannot erase these events, their causes, or their meaning. Everyone should watch this.” [Twitter]
Pat Malone, Cancer Survivor to ‘Stand Up To Cancer’ for 24 Hours Straight — “Patrick J. ‘Pat’ Malone, a seven-year cancer survivor, and 20-year Air Force veteran will ‘stand up to cancer’ for 24-hours straight, during his Seventh Annual Stand Up To Cancer.” [Zebra]
City Wants Feedback on Paving Schedule — “The City will be paving: *Braddock Road (from King Street to Russell Road) *Montrose Avenue (from East Raymond Avenue to Richmond Highway) *Richenbacher Avenue (from North Van Dorn Street to North Pickett Street) …and we would like your feedback!” [Twitter]
Collective Bargaining Ordinance Proposed In Alexandria — “Collective bargaining had existed in 19 Virginia localities, including Alexandria, until a 1977 Virginia Supreme Court ruling stopped local governments from collective bargaining with their employees. On May 1, 2021, A Virginia law will take effect allowing counties, cities and towns to adopt ordinances to recognize labor unions or employee associations as a bargaining unit and enter into collective bargaining.” [Patch]
