COVID-19: Resources for Returning to the Office

February 14, 2022 | By Cara O'Donnell

Upon assuming office in January 2022, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin declared the Commonwealth “Open for Business” with Executive Order 6, which removes pandemic-related restrictions on businesses throughout the Commonwealth.

There is no mask mandate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In Arlington County, local public health officials still recommend the wearing of face coverings in indoor spaces in which adequate physical distancing cannot be maintained. Individual businesses may also require the wearing of face coverings at this time. Above all, Arlington County officials encourage all Virginians to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Vaccines offer the best form of protection against COVID-19, and vaccination efforts are the best way to end the pandemic and get back to normal.

Visit the Arlington County Public Health Division COVID-19 page for additional information on current vaccination rates and recommendations in our community.

Arlington Economic Development has taken numerous steps throughout the course of the pandemic to assist our business community affected by COVID-related shutdowns and other restrictions. We issued two rounds of emergency GRANT funding for our small business community and continue to work with businesses as part of the ReLaunch initiative. We hosted numerous webinars to help businesses navigate pandemic changes and learn about best practices. And we worked with other County departments to help initiate the TOSA (Temporary Outdoor Seating Area) program to help restaurants handle capacity restrictions.

As your business moves forward in the new year and heads back to the office, we’re here to help. AED and the Chamber of Commerce have compiled a COVID-19 Resource Center with hundreds of websites, toolkits, webinars and articles all designed to help your team transition back tot he in-office experience. Additionally, businesses who suspect an outbreak of COVID-19 at their locations are encouraged to report the outbreak directly to the Virginia Department of Health via the VDH Suspected Outbreak Reporting Portal for Businesses.