Eased COVID-19 Restrictions Coming To Arlington In April

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington residents will soon be able to participate in larger social gatherings. Thanks to lower coronavirus cases counts and rising vaccination numbers across the state, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said during a Tuesday news conference that he was going to ease COVID-19 restrictions as part of his Forward Virginia plan.

Starting April 1, social gatherings will be allowed up to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors. Entertainment venues may operate at 30 percent capacity, or up to 500 people indoors —whichever is lower. Outdoor entertainment venues will be capped at 30 percent with no numeric cap. Recreational sporting events can be limited to 30 percent capacity. Spectators may be up to 100 at indoor events and 500 at outdoor events.

Virginia Department of Health confirmed 37 additional cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday in Arlington. That's about twice the 18 new cases reported on Tuesday. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Arlington Health District stands at 13,952.

One death due to COVID-19 wasreported in Arlington. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths now stands at 244. A total of 790 people have been hospitalized in Arlington due to COVID-19.

As Wednesday morning, 68,836 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 25,528 people have been fully vaccinated in the Arlington Health District, according to VDH data. Statewide, 3,226,713 doses of the vaccine have been administered and 1,167,307 people have been fully vaccinated.

More: Where To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Arlington

The positivity rate of COVID-19 testing in the Arlington Health District has been steadily declining since it peaked at 13.4 percent on Jan. 2.

As of Wednesday, VDH reported that 230,085 COVID-19 tests have been taken in the Arlington, with a 5.1 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 8,207,717 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 6.1 percent positivity rate.

There have been 57 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Arlington Health District. There have been 27 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, 15 in a congregate setting, one at a correctional facility, four in healthcare settings, six at a child care facilities, one at a college or a university, and three at a K-12 facility. The total number of cases associated with an outbreak is 999. There have been 316 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health-care workers.

There have been 608,704 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 10,143 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 26,037 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 124.3 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 2.7 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday morning. In the United States, more than 29.9 million people have been infected and over 543,000 people have died from COVID-19.

VDH breaks down the number of cases and deaths in Arlington by age, race and ethnicity. The breakdown by age is as follows:

Arlington residents should take the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For more information on coronavirus vaccines in Virginia, see the Virginia Patch COVID-19 vaccination page and link to it: https://patch.com/virginia/across-va/topics/virginia-covid-19-vaccine-information-hub

Also see ...

• Arlington COVID-19 Update: No New Deaths; 18 Additional Cases
• Gathering Sizes To Be Increased By Virginia Governor In April
• NoVA Leaders Urge Governor To Boost Vaccine Supplies For Region
• Lowest Number Of New COVID-19 Cases In Months In Arlington
• Arlington COVID-19 Update: Where To Get The Vaccine
• Over 2 Million Virginians Have First COVID-19 Vaccine Dose
• More Than 1 COVID-19 Vaccination Option Available In Arlington