Loudoun Board To Hold Emergency Coronavirus Meeting

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is holding an emergency business meeting Wednesday at 2 p.m. to address the ongoing coronavirus crisis. One of the items on the agenda is an emergency ordinance to identify how the board will meet remotely in the future to prevent the potential spread of the coronavirus.

The board plans to hold the meeting in the board room of the Loudoun County Government Center in Leesburg. The county is encouraging residents to watch or listen to the meeting instead of attending it in person. The meeting will be televised on Comcast Government Channel 23, Open Band Channel 40, and Verizon FiOS Channel 40 and will be livestreamed at loudoun.gov/webcast.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring issued guidance last Friday on whether localities in the state can meet electronically during the crisis to prevent spread of the coronavirus. In a state of emergency, Herring’s advisory opinion tells local governments they can meet electronically if “the purpose of the meeting is to address the emergency,” which includes meeting “to make decisions that must be made immediately and where failure to do so could result in irrevocable public harm.”

Under Virginia law, town councils can hold meetings electronically if the catastrophic nature of the emergency makes it impracticable or unsafe to assemble a quorum in a single location, the purpose of a meeting is to address the state of emergency, and the public body gives public notice and makes arrangements for public access to meetings, Herring said.

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At Wednesday afternoon's meeting, board members also will receive an update on the county’s response to the crisis.

Meanhile, Loudoun County government officials warned residents to stay off school property, playgrounds, athletic fields and outdoor sports facilities or risk getting charged by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Under Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's Executive Order 53 issued Monday, Loudoun County businesses, schools and gatherings will be subject to restrictions intended to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, the county said.

Northam also ordered the state's K-12 schools to remain closed through the end of the academic year. All Loudoun County Public Schools campuses and facilities, including all playgrounds, athletic fields and courts, are also closed to the public at this time, the county said. In addition, county park features that include playgrounds and athletic courts are closed.

Northam's order also specifies that gatherings of more than 10 people are banned statewide, beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday. The governor said his administration does not want to see police departments or sheriff's deputies arresting people.

Along those lines, Loudoun County warned that if people are congregating in groups of 10 or more in public, the sheriff's office "will assess the scene and encourage and direct the groups to disperse."