The Omicron wave continues to wane in Arlington.
The seven-day moving average of new daily Covid cases dipped below 50 this week and currently stands at 43, after a mere eight new cases were reported in Arlington today. The last time the daily case count was that low was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.
The seven-day average test positivity rate in Arlington, meanwhile, remains below 5%. Today the rate is 4.4%, after briefly dipping to 4% yesterday.
Covid hospalizations have held relatively steady in February, after peaking in mid-January. Four hospitalizations have been reported in Arlington by VDH over the past week. Four Covid-related deaths have also been reported over the past week.
Amid the backdrop of declining cases, mask requirements are being loosened.
On Tuesday, a new state law will prompt Arlington Public Schools to allow parents to opt their children out of the school system’s still-in-place mask mandate.
On Friday, George Mason University — which has a campus in Arlington’s Virginia Square neighborhood — appears poised to potentially relax its masking requirement.
“It is increasingly likely that on March 4 we will announce a pivot from our current mask requirement to a mask-optional university environment – with two vital exceptions: It is likely that masks will still be required for all in-person class environments and other similarly enclosed, close-contact settings with greater than 50 people,” GMU’s president said in an email to families yesterday.
“In all other settings, we will support and encourage the wearing of masks as individuals find appropriate for their circumstances,” the email from Dr. Gregory Washington adds. “We will of course continue to monitor our progress, and will revert to masking if necessary.”