COVID-19 Update — “Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 hit a new low in Northern Virginia on Sunday. But, as other parts of the state continue to struggle with the coronavirus, Gov. Ralph Northam issued a new warning this weekend for the public to follow health guidelines.” [Inside NoVa]
We will be watching the public health data closely over the weekend––if the numbers don't come down, we may have to take additional steps to blunt the spread of this virus.
Wear a mask and practice physical distancing so we don't have to move back.
Be smart and stay safe.
— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) July 25, 2020
Reminder: Lock Your Car — “After responding to a flood of vehicle break-ins and thefts in recent weeks, the Vienna Police Department in its July 24 weekly police highlights issued a statement urging residents to do their part to deter thieves.” [Inside NoVa]
A Note on Notes — Starting this week, Morning Notes will be a little different. When the pandemic hit N. Va., we started publishing Morning Notes every weekday to keep readers informed. Now with August recess approaching for local, state and federal governmental bodies, we’re reducing Morning Notes to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
— Falls Church Views (@fallschurchview) July 3, 2020
Parents in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties plan to hold a rally tomorrow to call for Fairfax County Public Schools to offer in-person learning this fall.
Earlier this week, the Fairfax County School Board approved a fully virtual start, reversing plans to offer parents the option to pick either fully online or a hybrid of in-person and online learning.
According to posts in the public Facebook group behind the event, the rally is scheduled to take place outside FCPS’s administrative office at 8115 Gatehouse Road from 10 a.m.-noon.
People are asked to wear masks and social distance at the event, according to the posts.
The posts also say that the event is not political. “We come from all different beliefs but when it comes to our children, we want schools to be open and safely!” one commenter wrote in the group.
While the event page for the rally does not specify what the supporters want in-person learning to look like in the fall, the Facebook group has a message saying: “This is a group for those interested in kids going to school five days a week. Not interested? Prob [Probably] not your group.”
The school system has faced pressure from the Trump administration. A few weeks ago, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and President Donald Trump said that schools must open in the fall, with Devos singling out FCPS as a “disaster” in early July. Yesterday, Trump said that schools may need to delay opening due to another surge of cases.
As a surge of coronavirus cases continues in Virginia and teachers’ unions raised safety concerns over in-person learning, FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand said that he was worried about staff feeling comfortable returning for instruction in the classroom.
Dominion Energy plans to roll out an autonomous, electric shuttle named “Relay” for testing in Merrifield as early as next week.
The self-driving shuttle will make a loop between the Mosaic District to the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station. Fairfax County and Dominion Energy teamed up last year to start the pilot program to improve connectivity between the station and the shopping center, which are just under one mile apart according to Google Maps.
Peggy Fox, Dominion Energy’s spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter that testing is expected to start soon on the pre-mapped route. “It will be several weeks before we’re able to accept passengers,” Fox said.
Currently, the autonomous shuttle, which was made by the French company EasyMile, is in Alexandria awaiting its move to Merrifield next week, Fox said.
According to Dominion Energy, Relay is the first test of autonomous public transportation in Northern Virginia.
Photos courtesy Dominion Energy
Moviegoers will have to wait a little bit longer than expected for the AMC cinema at Tysons Corner Center to reopen.
AMC Theatres announced yesterday (Thursday) that it plans to reopen its U.S. movie theaters in mid to late August after previously saying they would start screenings by the end of July.
“This new timing reflects currently expected release dates for much anticipated blockbusters like Warner Bros.’ ‘Tenet’ and Disney’s ‘Mulan,’ as well as release dates for several other new movies coming to AMC’s big screens,” according to yesterday’s announcement.
Earlier this month, AMC Theatres said that it is working to reduce its total debt by at least $460 million.
AMC noted that roughly one-third of its movie theaters in Europe and the Middle East reopened under normal operations.
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash
Updated 7/28/2020 — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the Memorandum of Agreement today.
Chairman Jeff McKay said that when he and former Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins first worked on the program, they were faced with skepticism about how much it would get used. McKay said that the program has seen “tremendous popularity” and that it helps address equity issues around transportation.
“This program has been greatly expanded in a short period of time,” McKay said.
Earlier: While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will start the school year virtually, county officials want to make sure students will have continued access to free bus passes.
Fairfax County and FCPS teamed up in 2015 to create a pilot program that gives free Fairfax Connector bus passes to middle and high school students.
“Since its inception, nearly two million trips have been taken through the Free Student Bus Pass Program (FSBPP) and as of February 2020, student ridership accounted for approximately 6.5 percent of the total Fairfax Connector ridership,” according to county documents.
More from the county:
Through this innovative program, students can access extracurricular activities, stay after school for support and tutoring, access after school jobs and internships, and visit libraries, museums, and other recreational activities.
The program familiarizes students with public transportation and supports the development of a more multi-modal generation of young adults in the future. This is critical to increasing transit ridership, reducing traffic congestion, and improving mobility around the National Capital Region.
Fairfax County officials are looking to formalize the collaboration so that the program can continue.
The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on Tuesday (July 28) to approve moving forward with a Memorandum of Agreement between the county and FCPS, according to the meeting’s agenda.
Once the agreement is complete, the county will provide free rides on the Fairfax Connector to students with eligible passes and promote the program, while the school system will register, distribute and manage the passes.
In addition to the pilot program with Fairfax Connector, the county also works with the Washington Area Transit Authority (WMATA). In 2018, the county and WMATA expanded the bus pass program to include Justice High School in Falls Church.
Starting with the 2018-2019 school year, students now receive the bus pass in the form of a “specially designed SmarTrip Card,” according to Fairfax County’s website.
McLean Man Found Dead in Potomac River — “A body found Tuesday night in the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland near Great Falls has been identified as a McLean resident.” [McLean Patch]
What a COVID-19 Surge Could Mean for Metro — “Metro expects to bring rail service to 90% of pre-pandemic levels by Aug. 16, but if a new surge of Covid-19 cases should plunge the region into a second wave of shutdowns, the system would likely follow suit, Paul Wiedefeld, general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, said Thursday.” [Washington Business Journal]
Virtual Option Pushed for Falls Church Public Schools — “Out of an abundance of caution in the midst of the current Covid-19 pandemic, F.C. Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan changed his mind this week and now wants everyone to stay home this fall when classes are due to resume Aug. 24.” [Falls Church News-Press]
School to Be Named for Late Rep. John Lewis — “The Fairfax County School Board on Thursday voted to rename Robert E. Lee High School after the late U.S. Congressman John R. Lewis. The new name will be effective for the 2020-21 school year.” [Inside NoVa]
A new Indian restaurant is now open in the Tysons area.
Bansari Indian Cuisine held its grand opening on Sunday, July 19, at 2750 Gallows Road in Merrifield, according to a Facebook post from the restaurant. Diners can find it near Lost Dog Cafe — between the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station and the Mosaic District.
The restaurant posted that it offers patio dining, take-out and delivery. People can order from the restaurant on Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub and Seamless.
The menu includes a variety of dishes, including butter chicken, tandoori chicken, hakka noodles, egg curry, lamb curry and biryani.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday-Sunday, according to the restaurant’s website.
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County has surpassed 15,000 cases as of today (Thursday) as the trajectory of cases continues to remain stable in the county.
One of the most important measures of community transmission — charting confirmed cases by new cases per week — indicates that cases are not growing exponentially. For the last three weeks, the number of new cases has remained relatively stable.
The Virginia Department of Health reported 49 new cases today — a number that is in line with previous daily increases for the last week.
But it’s unclear how complete the data are. The number of total tests administered per week has remained stable since a reported high on the week of May 24. However, the number of positive tests remains low.
Racial disparities continue to remain prevalent in the county. The Hispanic community accounts for 60 percent of total confirmed cases where race is known, even though they comprise just 16 percent of the population.
In Northern Virginia, the number of weekly total cases reported hovers in the 500s, with slight increases reported since last month.
Overall, the state has reported 81,237 confirmed cases, 7,437 hospitalizations, and 2,054 total deaths.
The Fairfax County Health Department is encouraging residents to continue to practice social distancing and wear masks when in public. Cleaning supplies and children’s face coverings are also still needed.
A local Turkish catering company recently opened up a new bakery and gourmet market in Falls Church.
BorekG officially opened its bakery and market around June 1 at 315 S Maple Ave., but the catering company appeared at the Falls Church Farmers Market prior to the creation of the market.
“We initially wanted to open a full cafe, but unfortunately seating nor funding was available to us,” Dilek Kaygusuz, the owner of BorekG, told Tysons Reporter.
The catering business has been serving the community for 10 years.
Kaygusuz said plans to open the store started seven years ago. Finally, at the beginning of June, the team was able to move forward with opening plans under COVID-19 safety protocols and through the Falls Church Food Safety Workshop.
She said they are disappointed that they didn’t get any financial help from Falls Church or Fairfax County. “I hope in the future they value us more,” Kaygusuz said.
Business at BorekG has been stable, but they hope things get better, Kaygusuz said. Many businesses have struggled due to the pandemic, and BorekG is no exception.
The BorekG Bakery and Gourmet Market offers Turkish breakfast, brunch, appetizers, and lunch. Some of the items included in their store include flatbreads, pastries, baklava and more. The market also sells grocery items such as eggs, cheese, butter, milk and oils.
“You can also sign up for our future cooking classes, make reservations for outdoor seating and find out about our host dinners,” BorekG’s website says.
Outside of the store, people can find BorekG at the Falls Church Farmers Market each Saturday.
Photo via Borek-G/Facebook
Updated 7/28/2020 — The Boro said today that Santouka Ramen plans to open in early August — not at the end of July.
FRESHFARM Farmers Markets, two new eateries and City National Bank plan to open soon at The Boro.
The press team for the Tysons development announced the upcoming openings today, saying that the bank, Tasty Kabob will be open by the end of July, followed by Santouka Ramen in early August.
The farmers market will run from July 30-Nov. 19 and will be open from 3-7 p.m. on Thursdays in Boro Place. FRESHFARM currently has nearby markets in the Mosaic District and Reston.
The Boro also shared more details about its pedestrian-only street initiative, saying that the area in Boro Place will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 5:30-8:30 p.m. until the end of August. People can expect live entertainment.
Here’s the line-up:
- Thursday, July 23: Jonny Grave
- Friday, July 24: Jeffrey Herbert
- Thursday, July 30: Moose Jaw Bluegrass
- Friday, July 31: David Thong
- Thursday, Aug. 6: Shane Gamble
In the last few weeks, Colour Bar Studio, Poki DC and Tysons Nail Lounge opened in The Boro.
People can find an updated list of businesses’ opening status at The Boro’s website.
Photo via Santouka Tysons Corner/Facebook
