Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that another $645 million in federal CARES funds to address the Covid-19 pandemic will be released to localities around the commonwealth.

Northam said that the federal rules on the CARES funds permit states to release only 15 percent of funds to localities, but that Virginia will be allocating 50 percent of its funds.

There is no immediate word on what that translates into for the City of Falls Church, which has so far received $1,250,000 in those funds. 

Northam also hailed the progress in containing the Covid-19 virus in Northern Virginia, which has dropped its rate of spread by two-thirds since May, as have four of the five health districts in the state, all but the Hampton Roads area.

Northam announced new preventative restrictions for the Hampton Roads area effective this Friday. 

Northam said that “too many people are selfish” as one of the reasons the spread continues high in some areas of the state and that while over 20,000 tests are being performed daily in the state now, the fact that it is taking 10 days or more to get the results of tests is not acceptable and must change.

He said that political factors leading to a “disconnect” with federal policy is “unfortunate,” and stressed that “we are in a biological war” that should not be determined by politics. 

Among other things, he said that CARES funds should be used for rental assistance and eviction protection for households in need.