Coronavirus

Gov. Ralph Northam will require all of Virginia’s public school children to wear a facemask.

Today, a new order from the state’s health department will force children in school divisions like Fauquier and King Goerge counties, which ruled masks optional, to wear facemasks. The governor says his order reinforces a law passed in March that requires schools only provide in-person classes for students to the best of their abilities but to follow guidance from the CDC, superseding all local and state health organizations.

Mary Washington Hospital is the first healthcare provider in our region to force its employees and volunteers to get a coronavirus vaccine.

Employees, medical staff, and volunteers at the Fredericksburg and Stafford campuses must be vaccinated by October 31, the hospital announced, saying the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.