Smithsonian museums, Disney World and Alexandria Libraries — all three places are now requiring that visitors wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status.
"Beginning Friday, July 30, Alexandria Library will require all persons regardless of vaccination status to wear a mask in Library facilities due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Alexandria, VA and its surrounding areas. Due to the City's recent announcement of substantial COVID-19 community transmission, the Library has implemented measures to ensure the safety of its staff and patrons," the Alexandria library system announced in an email to residents.
This week, Alexandria's status for community transmission of COVID-19 was elevated to "substantial," even though 67.5 percent of Alexandrian residents over the age of 12 have had at least one dose of a vaccine and 58.4 percent of residents age 12+ are fully vaccinated. (The percent of vaccinated individuals may actually be higher, as doses given to some U.S. government employees and contractors are not counted in those numbers.)
"Following a recent increase of cases, Alexandria has been elevated to a state of substantial COVID-19 community transmission for the first time since early May. Other Northern Virginia jurisdictions are also either in moderate or substantial community transmission. The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) urges community members to take common sense precautions to reduce the risk of illness during this spike, such as choosing outdoor gatherings over indoor gatherings, staying home, getting tested when symptomatic, and wearing masks in public indoor settings," according to a City of Alexandria statement.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that even vaccinated individuals should be wearing masks indoors in public places where there is significant community transmission of COVID-19 and around people who may be particularly vulnerable to the virus.
For Alexandria, that means even the vaccinated should start wearing a mask. "The CDC now recommends that residents in communities with substantial or high transmission levels wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. Because Alexandria is currently in a state of substantial transmission, and is exceeding 50 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, masks should be worn in public indoor settings," the city explained.
The change in guidance was due to new research released Thursday night indicating that the delta variant of the virus, which is circulating widely, is as easy to catch as a common cold.
Vaccines are still largely effective in preventing serious infections, and while there are some "breakthrough" cases among vaccinated individuals, the strong majority of those hospitalized for COVID-19 are people who are unvaccinated.
The following chart shows reported coronavirus cases in the City of Alexandria over the past 180 days based on Virginia Dept. of Health data.
Virginia Dept. of Health
Cases over the last 180 days in the City of Alexandria.
