From the City of Fredericksburg:
Fredericksburg prioritizes the health and well-being of citizens, visitors and City employees. With the growing concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19, Fredericksburg today declared a local state of emergency.
The declaration was issued as a precautionary security measure, which allows for the full powers of government to deal effectively with emergencies or hazardous weather conditions. Fredericksburg is taking appropriate action in alignment with guidance and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to practice social distancing as part of a community mitigation strategy.
Part of those recommended strategies are: • All local government, businesses, community organizations and faith-based institutions are asked to reschedule or cancel meetings or gatherings involving more than 50 people for the foreseeable future. • Community members over age 60, with chronic medical conditions, or with compromised immune systems should avoid large gatherings of people altogether. City of Fredericksburg will help with these strategies by: • Canceling all city-sponsored events and activities, including activities managed by the Parks, Recreation and Events Department effective immediately. • Employee work-related travel outside of the City of Fredericksburg, except for essential business, is being restricted until further notice. • The City is taking additional efforts to protect our employees, citizens and guests by expanding cleaning efforts for all our buildings during the day. • The City will implement a compassionate billing policy for all Utility customers. Until further notice no customers will have their water or sewer service cut off. • Individuals who dial 9-1-1 will expect to be asked additional questions as part of our Emergency Medical Dispatch procedures that have been put into place by Emergency Services. We appreciate all individuals answering those questions to the best of their ability. Persons can do this to help with limiting the spread: • Stop handshaking – use other noncontact methods of greeting. • Clean hands at the door and schedule regular hand washing reminders by email. • Create habits and reminders to avoid touching their faces and cover coughs and sneezes. • Disinfect surfaces like doorknobs, tables, desks, and handrails regularly. • Increase ventilation by opening windows or adjusting air conditioning.
The following OPTIONS exist for VIEW ONLY of City Council meetings • View the City Council broadcast on Cox Channel 84 and Verizon Channel 42 • View the broadcast on our www.regionalwebtv.com/fredcc • View on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/FXBGgov We understand these measures are unusual and inconvenient to many, but we must look out for the safety and security of our citizens, guests and employees. Some people may also be frightened or upset by the conditions in these times, but it’s critical that everyone remain calm, stay informed and follow the CDC’s safety guidelines.
Fredericksburg will continue to provide daily updates on our website www.fredericksburgva.gov as well as on the Fredericksburg account on Facebook www.facebook.com/FXBGgov.
We encourage everyone who lives, works or visits Fredericksburg on a regular basis to sign up for Fredericksburg Alert (www.fredericksburgalert.com). We use this system to communicate with both citizens and visitors during emergencies and other critical community events.
The Virginia Department of Health has established a public information line, 1-877-ASK-VDH3, for questions from residents about the novel coronavirus situation.
This is a very fluid event and we highly encourage citizens use the following trusted websites for information updates. • Virginia Department of Health: www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus • Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ • U.S. Department of Homeland Security: https://www.ready.gov/pandemic • City of Fredericksburg: www.fredericksburgva.gov
