City Of Fredericksburg Coronavirus Update For May 22

Press release from the City of Fredericksburg:

May 22, 2020

As of noon today, in our immediate area there are now 1,129 positive case in our Health District, Stafford has 552 cases, Spotsylvania 373, King George 45 and Caroline 45. Here in Fredericksburg the cases have increased to 109. We have increased 22 cases since the last reporting period, this is the most in any one reporting period so far for RAHD. We have 14 deaths reported in the health district. The rate of positives to tests is right at 15% in the Commonwealth. There are six outbreaks in the Health District. There are 32 positive patients currently in the hospital in our health district as of this morning.

The statistics for the Commonwealth are 223,433 tests conducted for the virus with 34,950 confirmed or probable for COVID-19. We have had 4,145 persons hospitalized at the time of investigation at the state level. Unfortunately, we have had 1,136 Virginians die as a result of the viral infection known as COVID-19.

There were 1,611,297 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and of those 1,207,459 are active cases with 95,213 deaths resulting from total cases.

As we head into the long holiday weekend, let’s not forget the reason for this holiday. Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, was first started shortly after the Civil War as a way to remember and commemorate any and all who died in the defense of the United States. It was originally celebrated on May 30th each year but was moved to the last Monday of May as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971. It is also considered the unofficial start to summer.

With the effects of COVID-19, many of the Memorial day ceremonies are being held virtually this year. The Memorial Luminaria at Fredericksburg National Cemetery will be held virtually on the City’s Facebook page on Saturday May 23rd.

A virtual Memorial Gallery and videos of those who were going to speak at the Fredericksburg Area War Memorial will be posted to social media, City’s YouTube channel and the public access channels – Cox Channel 84 and Verizon Channel 42. Please check them out.

So as you enjoy your time with family or a few very close friends, while you bar-b-que, around your home pool or enjoying a walk or hike, remember the reason for the holiday. To honor our veterans who died in battle at home or abroad to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. Also observe the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00pm on Monday to pause for one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.

We want you to have a fun and exciting holiday weekend, but make sure you follow the safety guidelines for gatherings, practice social distancing and use good common sense. Fredericksburg Police and Fire personnel are available 24/7 throughout the weekend, but be safe so you don’t need their services.

This press release was produced by the City of Fredericksburg. The views expressed here are the author’s own.