The City of Falls Church announced new guidance for the public yesterday. The new policy is based on the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) new metrics, effective yesterday: “The City of Falls Church will no longer require masks for the public or employees in City government facilities, including City Hall, the Community Center, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Masks and social distancing are welcome for anyone who chooses to do so.”

The following is also within CDC guidance and City policy: 1. If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions; 2. Stay up to date with Covid-19 vaccines; 3. Get tested if you have symptoms; 4. People with symptoms and/or a positive test should stay home; 5. People with exposure to someone with Covid-19 should wear a mask; 6. People may choose to mask and social distance at any time; 7. Masks may still be required in healthcare, congregant settings, on public transportation, and in private businesses that choose to continue the requirement; 8. Stay healthy by practicing good hygiene like washing hands and covering a cough or sneeze with your elbow.

This past Friday, the CDC changed their guidance on indoor masking. Based on these new metrics, the impact of Covid-19 in the City of Falls Church is “medium,” and the impact in the neighboring jurisdictions is considered “low.”

The new guidelines assess impact of Covid-19 on a community through three metrics: 1. New Covid-19 cases in past 7-days per 100,000 population, 2. New Covid-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population (7-day total), and percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by Covid-19 patients (7-day average).