People wondering where they can go to get tested for COVID-19 in Virginia now have a new resource.

The Virginia Department of Health made a map of facilities offering testing. Tysons Reporter took a look and found the phone numbers, addresses and requirements for testing at the sites in the Tysons area.

For people on the fence about whether or not to get tested, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers information and things people should consider before seeking medical attention.

Tysons

AllCare/Synergy Immediate Care (1980 Gallows Road) is offering tests Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 p.m. until 1:30 p.m., the site said, adding that results will usually be available within three business days. People must first go through a phone appointment before being referred to a drive-thru test, the page added.

Inova Urgent Care Center (8357 Leesburg Pike) is open for testing seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. People must visit with a provider first, who will then order a test for the patient, according to the website. 

Falls Church 

Kaiser Permanente at the Falls Church Medical Center (201 N. Washington Street) is offering tests for Kaiser patients only once they meet with a doctor or nurse, the page said. Drive-thru testing is available seven days a week from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and again from 3:30-7:3o p.m.

McLean

Mclean Medical Center & Urgent Care (6858 Old Dominion Drive) accepts all insurances and is open for walk-in care from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays, the website said. 

Mclean Pharmacy (1392 Chain Bridge Road) offers testing for Medicare patients Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. People must call ahead at 571-488-6030.

McLean Immediate Care (1340 Old Chain Bridge Road) offers testing for anyone who thinks they may have the virus. A drive-in test costs $175, the website said. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 6 p.m. 

As the Louise Archer Elementary School gears up for a renovation, the Vienna Planning Commission supports keeping temporary facilities at the school for a few more years.

Currently, there are two trailers and one 66-foot by 180-foot modular at the public school (324 Nutley Street NW).

The permits for the facilities are expected to expire later this year unless town officials grant an extension. Last night’s votes were a step in the direction for the temporary facilities to stay in place for the short-term.

The school used to have eight trailers before the modular replaced five of them.

“[The modular] provides additional capacity to alleviate the overcrowding at the school,” according to town documents, adding that the modular houses 10 classrooms, restrooms and storage and maintenance space.

The school is now poised for a renovation that will get rid of the two trailers and modular entirely.

John McGranahan, a lawyer representing Fairfax County Public Schools, told the Planning Commission last night that the planning and design for the renovation are in progress.

Permitting is slated to begin in 2021, followed by three years of construction from 2022-2025, McGranahan said, noting that the school will remain open while the work is underway and that most of the construction will happen during the summers.

The renovation is expected to be completed by August 2025. The trailers and modular would get removed once the work is finished, McGranahan said.

The Planning Commission voted in support of permits continuing the use of the modular for five years and the trailers for two years.

Image via Town of Vienna

A nation-wide shortage of hand sanitizer due to COVID-19 prompted Falls Church Distillers to change their alcohol production practices to meet local demand.

Now months later, the distillery not only managed to boost production of its Aim High Sanitizer by expanding its facility and workforce but also developed a health guide to help community businesses implement new “best practices” issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The distillery can produce roughly 2,000 gallons of hand sanitizer on a weekly basis, but the distillery’s owner Michael Paluzzi said that a shortage of containers — not ingredients and the production facility — limit their operations, especially for smaller 6 and 8 oz. bottles.

Staff use “whatever we can get our hands on,” Paluzzi said, adding that they usually order from various wholesalers each day because of purchase caps imposed by the high demand.

For front line workers, homeless shelters, various charities and restaurants, the distillery sells larger quantities, like 5-gallon buckets, of the sanitizer, spokesperson Meghan Morgan said.

For people with specific requests, Morgan said that the distillery can slightly alter the sanitizer for people who want various scents like lavender or eucalyptus, which cut the plain “vodka-like scent.”

Right now, Paluzzi said that their priority is helping to supply businesses and restaurants with hand sanitizer so they’re able to reopen safely.

“We have a lot of retail that are reaching out to us now — a lot of recreation centers, gyms, dental offices and all kinds of surgical centers,” Morgan said, adding that the distillery has also been in touch with the U.S. Postal Service.

For individuals interested in picking up hand sanitizer, to-go food and drink or bottles of liquor, they can visit Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) Thursday-Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.

Regarding the community health guide, Paluzzi said that it is an evolving document that takes into consideration best practices and new information from the CDC to keep both workers and guests safe.

Throughout the four weeks it took to compile the document, Morgan said that they consulted the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce and the Fairfax County Health Department.

“We’ve gone out of our way with qualified individuals, including Dr. Kallie Stavros on our staff, to take the CDC guidance and Fairfax County guidance to create a living document of sorts that we will continue to mature over time,” Paluzzi said, adding that is is available for free to any retailer who asks.

Photo courtesy Falls Church Distillers

Don’t expect the traditional grand opening celebrations when Wegmans debuts its brand new store next to Capital One’s headquarters this fall, the grocery chain says.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, Wegmans announced yesterday (Tuesday) that grand opening events are a no-go for its upcoming stores this year, including the Tysons one.

“As we keep the safety of our employees and customers a top priority, we’ve had to rethink how we open these stores,” according to a press release. “While we love the excitement of opening morning, with customers anxiously awaiting to see their new Wegmans, we know this isn’t possible as the need to maintain social distancing remains.”

Instead, the grocer plans to share a “targeted timeframe” for when each store will open.

Once customers are allowed inside, shoppers can expect a line to enter, along with limitations on how many people can be in the store at a given time, the press release said.

Additionally, Wegmans said that its three stores opening this year will all have online ordering via curbside pickup and delivery: “We encourage customers to take advantage of these services.”

The 80,000-square-foot store (1835 S. Capital One Drive) is expected to employ roughly 480 people and will include a Market Café with indoor and outdoor seating and The Burger Bar.

The building that the store will be in also plans to include residential units, parking and a 1.2-acre rooftop park atop the building.

Photo courtesy Wegmans

Later today (Thursday), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will consider allowing easier expansion of outdoor dining and exercise activity.

Fairfax County announced the meeting yesterday following news that the county will start easing COVID-19 restrictions on businesses on Friday (May 29).

The meeting’s only agenda item is the emergency ordinance, which would temporarily allow “the expanded use of outdoor space for outdoor dining and for outdoor fitness and exercise activities, all under specified conditions and without the need for individualized determinations.”

The ordinance would kick in when the county starts the first phase on Friday of the governor’s reopening plan.

The meeting is set to start at 3 p.m.

The Meridian Group is hoping to turn the former headquarters of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) into an extension of The Boro.

The plans would redo the old NADA site and an adjacent property — both currently vacant — into a mixed-use development with residential uses, a continuing care facility and ground-floor retail space, Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner for Walsh Colucci, told Tysons Reporter.

“The vision is to extend The Boro development across Westpark Drive and to continue the transformation of Tysons from a suburban office park to an urban center,” she said.

This new project proposes four buildings — two residential ones, one for the continuing care facility and the last one, which would either be a health club or townhomes, Baker said.

“The proposal is 1.1 million square feet overall,” Baker said, adding that it is less dense than other nearby developments because it’s further away from the Greensboro Metro station.

The project also includes a centralized park that would be open to the public — “I think that is one of the high focal points of the development,” she said.

The Meridian Group acquired the NADA headquarters building and an adjacent site, paying $33.7 million to the NADA for 8400 Westpark Drive in late 2018, the Washington Business Journal reported. The NADA relocated to 8484 Westpark Drive in October 2018, according to WBJ.

Fairfax County accepted the rezoning plans for the project earlier this week. Hearing dates for the county’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have not been announced yet.

“I think this particular application really helps to expand the connected grid of streets, create walkable blocks, provide new residential opportunities as well as a continuing care facility to help meet the needs of the senior population,” she said. “It’s all designed around energizing the streets and parks.”

Image via Google Maps

Fire at Falls Church Home — Fairfax County firefighters responded to a house fire in the 7100 block of Shreve Road yesterday and got the fire under control. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]

Greasy Problem at Silver Diner — “Silver Diner filed the lawsuit against Tech 24, a Greenville, South Carolina-based restaurant equipment and services firm, after Silver Diner claims the vendor intentionally flooded several of the restaurants’ grease traps in what it called a ‘retaliatory’ move.” [Washington Business Journal]

More Liquor To-Go — “The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) is now offering curbside pickup for online orders at 370 stores across the commonwealth.” [Inside NoVa]

Fairfax Connector can help folks get around the Cedar Lane Bridge reconstruction project – and to destinations nearby in Tysons & Mosaic on routes 462 & 467. And -bonus! – service is expanded and free for duration of the six-month project. https://t.co/WGkiqOrkbU pic.twitter.com/JZCPXUqD53

— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) May 27, 2020

Fairfax County announced today (Wednesday) that it will start rolling back some COVID-19 restrictions on Friday (May 29).

The announcement follows Gov. Ralph Northam saying yesterday (Tuesday) that Northern Virginia localities are ready to join the rest of the state with the first reopening phase.

“The Forward Virginia plan provides guidelines that all businesses must follow in the first phase but eases previous restrictions on restaurants, fitness facilities, barbers and beauty salons, other retail businesses and houses of worship,” according to the county.

Here’s what will happen in Fairfax County starts reopening on Friday:

• movie theaters, concert halls, bowling alleys, indoor entertainment will stay closed
• social gatherings of more than 10 people will still be prohibited
• “safer at home” recommendation will still be in place
• restaurants may reopen at 50% of indoor capacity with tables spaced 6 feet apart
• restaurants’ bars will remain closed
• restaurants must use disposable menus and require servers to wear face coverings
• gyms, recreation centers, sports centers and pools may open outside
• indoor pools and spas and outdoor basketball and racquetball courts will stay closed
• salons and barbers can open at 50% capacity and require appointments
• retailers may reopen at 50% capacity and employees must wear face coverings
• houses or worship may hold services at 50% capacity, face coverings encouraged

A joint letter sent Monday from officials in Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, said that their health directors’ assessment of the pandemic supports the partial reopening.

“[The public health directors] have noted the regional attainment of four of the critical metrics and assessed the need for continued focus on expanding our contact tracing capacity and developing sustainable supplies of PPE,” the letter said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County surpassed 10,000 today (Wednesday). But the trajectory of cases appears to be on the decline as Northern Virginia gears up for phase one of its reopening plan on Friday.

According to data released by the state’s health department, a slowdown in the number of new cases emerged this week. Public health experts determine the trajectory of COVID-19 by charting the total number of confirmed cases against new confirmed cases per week.

Additionally, the number of new cases per week has decreased. In the first two weeks of this month, the county saw a weekly case count of between 1,200 and 1,300 cases. Last week, that number dipped to around 1,000 new cases.

Still, 365 people in the county have died from the respiratory illness. On Monday, a record number of new cases — 493 — was reported. Since then, the number of new daily cases dipped to 357 yesterday (Tuesday) and 230 today.

As the state’s testing capacity has expanded, the number of positive cases has also declined slightly since the week of April 19, county data show.

Overall, 40,439 cases have been confirmed statewide, resulting in 1,281 deaths. A surge in testing partly explains the increase in the number of cases reported daily on Monday and Tuesday.

Northern Virginia continues to account for a majority of cases.

Photo via CDC/Unsplash