Almost three years after it went into effect, Fairfax County will end its COVID-19 emergency declaration.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved ending the emergency on March 1.
The county initially put the COVID-19 emergency declaration in place March 12, 2020, as a way to alleviate damage, loss, and hardship brought on by the pandemic.
“This is a milestone. I don’t think there needs to be much discussion, other than to thank our staff,” said Fairfax County Board Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay during Tuesday’s board meeting. “We would not be here without the work of so many people in our county.”
“It’s nice to get back to normal,” McKay said, noting the diligence of county staffers during difficult times.
“This is a journey that none of us wants to repeat,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Penelope A. Gross during the meeting.
“The Declaration of Local Emergency has been an extremely valuable tool for us throughout the pandemic. It gave us greater flexibility and authority to purchase supplies, find resources, move to virtual operations and meetings, support the business community, and protect the health and safety of our community,” said County Executive Bryan J. Hill in a news release.
County officials said the decision to end the declaration would have no direct impact on county operations. The health department will continue sharing updates concerning COVID-19 on its webpage, and vaccinations are widely available in the community.
Restaurants and exercise facilities will be able to keep their outside operations in place until March 1, 2024. Businesses would need additional county approvals after that date.
Fairfax County made the move ahead of the Biden administration’s end of the national and public health emergencies on May 11.
Feature image courtesy Fusion Medical Animation
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