Fairfax County leaders confirmed that the local emergency declaration due to Covid will end as soon as next month

On March 1, the county will no longer be in a state of emergency. What does that mean for outdoor dining inspired by the pandemic?

In Fairfax County, Virginia, the local emergency declaration that has been in place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic will end in March.

Since March 2020, the county has been able to lessen the effects of COVID-19 thanks to the declaration. Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed with the choice.

In a statement, County Executive Bryan J. Hill called the declaration a “valuable tool” for dealing with the pandemic.

“It gave us more freedom and authority to buy supplies, find resources, move to virtual operations and meetings, help the business community, and protect the health and safety of our community,” Hill said, praising employees for the work they did.

The county said that there would be no direct effect on how they dealt with COVID-19 or how they responded to it. Even though the county’s vaccine clinics ended in December, vaccines are still widely available in the community and at the county health department.

During the pandemic, a lot of restaurants and gyms had to move their operations to parking lots. They can still go outside and do things until March 1, 2024. After that, they will need more approvals from the county.

Members of the board of supervisors have said that they want outdoor dining to continue even after the local emergency is over.