To prevent the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Fairfax County announced today (Sunday) that all of the county’s senior centers and adult day health care centers are now closed.

The centers in the Tysons-area include the Providence Senior Center (3001 Vaden Drive), Lewinsville Senior Center (1613 Great Falls Street) and the Pimmit Hills Senior Center (7510 Lisle Avenue).

The centers are closed until further center, according to the county. “We are continuing to re-evaluate the need for closure and will reopen when it is appropriate to do so,” the announcement said.

Starting tomorrow (Monday), the county will provide meal delivery service to people are who registered.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Virginia Department of Health says there are 45 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth, with 10 in Fairfax County.

The pandemic has prompted schools to close or switch to online learning and companies to ask employees to work from home in the D.C. area.

Fairfax County Public Schools closed Friday for four weeks until April 10. A laptop distribution to students that was supposed to take place tomorrow (Monday), has been postponed, FCPS said.

FCPS announced yesterday (Saturday) the first FCPS-related case, saying that a staff member at Lynbrook Elementary School has tested presumptive positive for coronavirus.

“The Fairfax County Health Department is conducting an investigation to identify individuals who are at risk of exposure and will be contacting those individuals directly to provide further guidance and testing if necessary,” according to the county.

While the schools are closed, FCPS plans to expand its free grab-and-go meals to 18 sites by Monday, including the following in the Tysons area:

• Bailey’s Primary ES (6111 Knollwood Drive)
• Cunningham Park ES (1001 Park Street)
• Graham Road Community Center (3036 Graham Road)

Families can find the food distribution outside the schools from 8-10:30 a.m. for breakfast and from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch.

Additionally, civil jury trials have been suspended for 30 days, starting Friday (March 13).

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Capital One says that one of its Tysons employees has tested positive for coronavirus.

“Today, we were notified that a Capital One colleague who works in our office at 8020 Towers Crescent Drive, in Tysons, Virginia, tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) and is currently receiving the appropriate medical care,” according to a statement from the banking giant to Tysons Reporter.

The building is behind Tysons Corner Center.

The statement says that after Capital One learned about the diagnosis today (Friday), the “impacted office” was closed.

“[We] are following recommended guidelines from the CDC and other public health authorities to disinfect the space and common areas,” the statement says.

More from the statement:

We are in the process of identifying and notifying those who came into close contact with this associate to provide information on steps to take if they have symptoms of illness and to ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days.

As our CEO shared earlier this week, Capital One has proactively taken steps to encourage and enable social distancing, including asking those in roles that can be performed remotely to work from home, temporarily suspending all non-essential business travel and announcing increased paid leave and more flexible attendance policies.

We wish this associate a full and quick recovery, and have offered support and outreach to them and their family. As always, our priority remains focused on the health, safety, and well-being of our associates, customers, and communities.

Bloomberg News first reported on Wednesday that the banking giant was asking people to work from home starting on Thursday (March 12).

The memo said that the company will announce increased paid sick leave and flexible attendance policies.

As of late 2018, Capital One, which has 52,000 employees in total, had moved approximately 2,000 employees to its new headquarters next to the McLean Metro station.

Image via Google Maps

(Updated 3/16/2020) Local nonprofit Second Story is asking people to send gift cards instead of volunteering or donating food and clothing to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

Located just south of Tysons, Second Story assists young people struggling with homelessness, poverty or domestic issues. In a message today, CEO Judith Dittman said that all of Second Story’s programs will remain in operation.

However, the nonprofit won’t accept clothing, food or other donated items to “help prevent the potential spread of germs through objects as well as limit the number of people who visit Second Story for Teens in Crisis,” Dittman said.

Second Story is also limiting its visitors, telling its staff to work remotely and suspending its volunteers in the homeless, young mothers and teen crisis programs, along with volunteers who provide meals to the programs.

Meanwhile, people can still volunteer in the community-based programs, Dittman said.

For people who want to help the nonprofit, Dittman said that gift cards are needed to purchase items for the programs.

“Gift cards are extremely valuable right now as we temporarily suspend meal donations and youth in our programs, many with hourly jobs, may have a greater need for immediate support,” Dittman told Tysons Reporter.

Christine Bartell, Second Story’s resource management director, told Tysons Reporter that Visa gift cards are the best option, but Second Story will also accept grocery store and Amazon gift cards via mail to “Attn: Christine Bartell, PO Box 694, Dunn Loring, VA 22027.”

“Since we’re limiting contact between youth and volunteers, gift cards for food will be especially important,” Bartell said.

Dittman also shared how the nonprofit is working to decrease the risk of spreading coronavirus, taking steps like sanitizing surfaces more and communicating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The full message is below the jump:

Read More

The Town of Vienna is gearing up for its election in a few months.

Recently, the filing deadline passed for people looking to run for the Town Council. Tysons Reporter has information below on who the candidates are, when debates are scheduled and how to ask questions.

Mayoral Candidates

Three councilmembers are vying for Mayor Laurie DiRocco’s seat.

DiRocco, who has been the town’s mayor since 2014, announced in December that she will not seek re-election.

Linda Colbert has been on the council since 2014 and has previously served on the Transportation Safety Commission and Hunter Mill Transportation Advisory Council, according to her town bio.

“I am running for Mayor of Vienna to advocate for Vienna residents, to preserve our neighborhoods, and to improve our commercial areas to create a more vibrant and economically viable main street that our residents will use with pride,” according to a statement on her Facebook page.

Pasha Majdi is running on a platform to “keep [Vienna] a small town.”

He was first elected to the council in 2014 after serving on the Town Business Liaison Committee, according to his town bio.

“Vienna should be an independent, green oasis that is a sharp contrast to Tysons, not a housing district for Tysons,” he said in his campaign announcement.

Howard Springsteen is also running on a platform to maintain the “small-town feel” of Vienna.

Springsteen was first elected to the Town Council in 2009 and has served on the Transportation Safety Commission for eight years, according to his town bio.

“I have a reputation for getting things done and focusing on residents’ concerns and issues,” Springsteen said. “I think Vienna should be determined by taxpaying residents and not non-tax paying developers.”

The terms for both Majdi and Colbert expire in June this year, while Springsteen’s term expires in June 2021.

Vienna Town Council Candidates

Depending on the mayoral election, either two or three council seats will be open.

Vienna Town Councilmember Douglas Noble, who has been on the council since 2016, plans to retire after his current term ends on June 30. (The terms for councilmembers Nisha Patel and Steve Potter expire in 2021.)

Voters will be able to pick no more than three of the seven candidates running to be councilmembers, according to the Fairfax County Department of Elections.

The candidates are:

• Chuck Anderson, a former member of Vienna’s Planning Commission
• Ray Brill, Jr., a former U.S. Air Force pilot, pastor, lawyer and congressional aide
• Roy Baldwin, an attorney who chairs Vienna’s Board of Architectural Review
• David Patariu, an attorney who is a member of Vienna’s Planning Commission
• Chris Wright, the vice president of sales at Datastrong
• Ed Somers, a member of Vienna’s Transportation Safety Commission
• Andrea Kristin Dahl

Meet the Candidates

Ahead of the election on May 5, several candidate forums will give locals opportunities to hear the candidates debate and answer questions from residents.

Unless canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus, here are the scheduled forums, according to the Vienna Business Association (VBA):

• NEVCA Candidates Forum: April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Community Center Auditorium
• NARFE Candidates Forum: April 14 at 1 p.m. at the Community Center Auditorium
• VBA Mayoral Forum: April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department
• Mayoral Forum: April 21 at 7 p.m. at the Cunningham Park Elementary School

Tysons Reporter will also reach out to the candidates for Q&As that will be published this spring ahead of the election.

If you have a question you would like the Tysons Reporter team to consider asking, please let us know in the comments below or on our social media pages.

Images via Town of Vienna

People impacted by the Orange Line closures this summer will have the option to use free shuttle buses.

Beginning May 27, the Vienna, Dunn Loring and East Falls Church stations will be closed through Sept. 7 (Reminder: On March 15, some or all of the parking options will be closed at the Metro stations in the Falls Church and Vienna area.)

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced today (Friday) the routes for the free buses that will replace trains at the affected stations.

Riders can use an online tool to find recommended travel alternatives.

While the Silver Line won’t be closed, WMATA officials have said that the stations from McLean to Wiehle-Reston East will also be affected.

The summer work will include updating slip-resistant tiles, LED lighting, adding new large digital displays and building new shelters on the platforms.

“West Falls Church Station will remain open and serve as the western terminus of the Orange Line,” according to Metro. “Trains will continue to pass through East Falls Church Station while it is closed to minimize service impacts outside the construction area.”

Map via WMATA

Two lawsuits against the Town of Vienna have been resolved now that Sunrise Senior Living’s plans are moving forward to occupy a different Maple Avenue location.

Steven Briglia, the town’s attorney, told the Town Council on Monday (March 9) that “soon the ink will be dry on both.”

The first lawsuit involved a Vienna couple suing town officials for approving the rezoning for a mixed-use development at 380 Maple Avenue.

“The parties have agreed it can be dismissed with prejudice,” he said. “It has been removed from the court docket.”

The mixed-use development site is now being considered for a Sunrise Senior Living Facility.

After the Town Council killed Sunrise’s original plans to bring a facility at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street, Sunrise sued Vienna officials for $30 million.

Sunrise then proposed to take over the 380 Maple Avenue spot and its plans have been moving forward with the town.

Briglia said that on Friday (March 6) that the Sunrise has agreed to drop the case.

“They are very happy with locating to 380 [Maple Avenue] and to move forward on that,” he said, adding that the non-suit “will remove the cloud on that property.”

Happy Friday! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:

Inova Announced New Hospital Visitor Policy — “Inova Health System announced changes… effective at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 12. The health system changed the policy ‘to protect the health and safety of our patients, their families and staff from the spread of COVID-19.’ The restrictions apply even to visitors who are healthy.” [Patch]

Vienna Officials Praise Low Rate for Bond Sale — “Vienna officials on March 10 issued $34.5 million in general-obligation bonds that will pay for public improvements, including a new police station. The town accepted an interest-rate bid of 1.86 percent from J.P. Morgan Securities, as well as a $3.1 million premium, which is a bonus offered by the investment firm to the town.” [Inside NoVa]

Little League Suspend Activities — The McLean Little League is suspending all activities, while the Vienna Little League “has suspended all activities through April 6, 2020.” [Twitter, Facebook]

Immigrants Contribute Billions to NoVa Economy — “A new report on the impact of immigrants in Northern Virginia found they are injecting $57.7 billion into the local economy — accounting for more than a quarter of the region’s $224.9 billion gross domestic product.” [Inside NoVa]

There is no higher priority than the health and wellness of our guests, employees, retailers, and communities. That’s why we are monitoring the current situation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and taking protective actions. To learn more, visit https://t.co/Wup8vbctAP

— Tysons Corner Center (@ShopTysons) March 10, 2020

Updated at 8:45 a.m. — FCPS schools will be closed today (Friday). Late last night (Thursday), FCPS reversed its decision to keep schools open on Friday.

All FCPS schools will be closed Friday, March 13, 2020.
School offices and central offices will open on time with an unscheduled leave policy in effect for 12-month employees. (Condition 2). More details to follow.

— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) March 13, 2020

The SAT scheduled for FCPS locations on 3/14 has been cancelled. Students registered to test will receive information from @CollegeBoard. Given high volume of closures, communication from College Board and options for rescheduling will likely be delayed.

— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) March 13, 2020

More from FCPS:

School offices and central offices will open on time with an unscheduled leave policy in effect for 12-month employees. (Condition 2). The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled:

• extracurricular activities
• interscholastic contests
• team practices
• field trips
• middle school after-school programs
• professional learning and training courses
• adult and community education classes
• recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS

School age child care (SACC) centers are closed.

Monday, March 16, will remain a student holiday/staff development day to allow our classroom teachers to prepare for the possibility of distance learning. 

Earlier: Fairfax County Public Schools plan to be open Friday, but will give students Monday off so staff can prepare for distance learning due to the recent spread of the coronavirus.

At a press conference today (Thursday) with Fairfax County officials, Superintendent Scott Brabrand said that the public schools are staying open because there is no evidence of “community spread” with the virus from health officials.

“FCPS takes very seriously the COVID-19 challenges that are before the community today,” Brabrand said, adding the school system is “working very closely” to monitor the virus with local public health officials.

The school system is under growing pressure to close its schools due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

“We woke up to have a neighboring school division close,” he said, referring to Loudoun County’s announcement that it will close its schools through March 20.

FCPS announced earlier this week that there is a plan with different scenarios for school closures. FCPS will also have free digital learning and citizenship events on Wednesday (March 18) at Kilmer Middle School and South Lakes High School.

“If we were to have a positive response, we would make a decision to close that school or schools were that was to happen,” he said today.

Brabrand added that the schools are undergoing “deep cleans” with a protocol confirmed by medical officials that “kills viruses, including COVID-19.”

As of 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health says that there are 17 cases in the state, with Fairfax County having the most.

Two new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 were announced earlier today in the county, bringing Fairfax County’s known count of coronavirus patients to four.

Also earlier today, Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in Virginia.

“This is a very serious matter,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said at the press conference. “We must accept this is a changing situation hourly.”

McKay said that Fairfax County is “well prepared” and looking to phase-in additional telework and remote work options for county employees.

While county buildings will remain open, McKay urged people to do transactions online if possible.

Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, the director for Fairfax Health, said the risk for the general public in Fairfax County is low.

FCPS announced after the press conference that all extracurricular activities, interscholastic contests, field trips, after-school programs, community use activities conducted by groups not affiliated with FCPS are canceled from March 14-April 12.

“SACC centers will remain open,” FCPS said. “We will share with you updates about today’s decisions by March 31.”

FCPS said it a review is underway for the food service and food handling procedures and that several parent-teacher associations are canceling school-based events “due to anticipated low turnout.”

Image via Fairfax County

Updated at 7:45 p.m. — Updated to reflect that Texas Jack’s Ranch and Texas Jack’s Barbecue are separate restaurants that are not affiliated.

Texas Jack’s Ranch is looking to open near the Greensboro Metro station this fall.

The restaurant will come to the Lumen apartment building (1755 Tysons Central Street), according to a press release.

Diners can expect the restaurant to “blend the best traditions from Central Texas and the rustic regions of Italy.”

The owner of Texas Jack’s Ranch is Steve Roberts, who is also involved in Texas Jack’s Barbecue in Arlington along with Paul Capetanakis. Capetanakis told Tysons Reporter that the two restaurants are not affiliated.

Texas Jack’s Ranch will occupy a 9,200-square-foot space “with 23-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and a fully-heated patio,” along with a brick oven and two full bars, the press release said.

Updated at 5:15 p.m. — Includes more information from Scott Graham.

An employee at an office building along Leesburg Pike in Tysons has tested positive for coronavirus, Lerner Enterprises said.

“We have learned that an individual who works in an office at 7799 Leesburg Pike has tested positive for COVID-19,” Lerner said in a statement to Tysons Reporter.

The real estate developer said that they have contacted Fairfax County’s health department. Lerner declined to provide information on the patient’s identity or their exposure due to privacy concerns.

“At this time, the building remains open and we have continued enhanced sanitation protocols,” the statement said. “We strongly encourage all individuals to follow the recommendations posted on the CDC’s website and in the attached fact sheet.”

Tysons Reporter reached out to the tenants in the building and will update this story if they respond.

Scott Graham, a spokesperson for the Mid-Atlantic region for M&T Bank, told Tysons Reporter that the coronavirus patient is not an employee at the branch, which occupies one floor of the building.

“We sent our employees home this morning as soon as we learned about the case,” Graham said. “The building — including our floor — is being thoroughly cleaned this afternoon, and we expect to be open for business Friday morning.”

Ashley Hopko contributed to this report

Image via Google Maps