City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an ordinance to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, commonly referred to as COVID-19, by requiring face coverings in certain indoor and outdoor locations. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of an ordinance to expand the existing requirements to wear face coverings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council hold a public hearing and second reading and approve the proposed face covering ordinance with an effective date of October 1, 2020 (attached) on second reading and adoption on September 12, 2020.
DISCUSSION: The City and Commonwealth remain in a state of emergency due to the effect of COVID-19 on our community. While the Governor of Virginia has issued Executive Orders to try to alter the community's behavior to combat the pandemic, it is difficult for the Commonwealth as a whole to address the needs of a specific community like Alexandria. Governor Northam issued Executive Order 63 (EO 63) requiring that face coverings be worn while inside certain buildings, the City of Alexandria with this ordinance would be expanding the areas where face coverings are required and would implement a local mechanism to achieve compliance of the requirement. While physical distancing is still the most important mechanism for stopping the spread of COVID-19, wearing a face covering when those distances cannot be maintained is an important safety measure that must be also increasingly utilized.
The City of Alexandria is an urban jurisdiction situated in the metropolitan Washington, DC region with a compact downtown area that attracts visitors from around the r...
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