Local residents can expect changes to their trash and recycling starting today (March 30).
Fairfax County announced on Friday that the Solid Waste Management Program is making some changes to trash and recycling collection to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
“These changes will remain in effect until the public health emergency passes,” the county said. “Additional changes may be announced if the situation worsens in our area.”
The county says that administrative buildings and donation stations are closed, along with the household hazardous waste and e-waste stations at the I-95 landfill complex. People can still find those stations at the I-66 transfer station.
The glass recycling drop-off bins have been temporarily suspended, and people are now asked to bring their glass recycling to the I-66 transfer station and I-95 landfill complex or to place the glass items in the trash.
Here’s what else has been suspended:
- yard waste collection
- 30-day prior notice requirements for change of collection schedule or services
- support for community clean-ups
- bulk/brush and electronic waste collection
- support for the litter removal program
- secure document shredding events
“These changes apply to all private haulers (90 percent of county) and county collections customers (10 percent),” the county said.
To help protect sanitation workers and residents from the coronavirus, the county asks that people reduce the amount of waste they generate, bag all trash and refuse, empty and clean containers that contained liquids and residue from food and regularly disinfect cart handles and lids.
Photo via City of Falls Church
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Fava Pot Owner Shares COVID-19 Impacts — “Her 2-year-old restaurant had been doing well — until the first week of March, when she first noticed a 30% drop in business. Then, she said, it kept dropping “like crazy” every day thereafter. By the second weekend in March, she saw sales plummet 80%.” [Washington Business Journal]
Profile of a Falls Church Barbershop — “On the surface, Smitty’s looks and feels like any black barbershop… But Smitty’s is much, much more to the immediate community. It’s an institution. And even in this time of terrible uncertainty for our older generations around the world, Smitty’s — now owned by Smith, 79, and his wife, Marcia — has been a comforting constant for the black and elderly of Falls Church and, more broadly, Fairfax County.” [Washington Business Journal]
Plans OK’d for Tysons Transmission Line — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 24 unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the proposed undergrounding of a Dominion Energy electricity-transmission line in Tysons… The proposed Tysons project would underground a transmission line between the existing Tysons substation and future Spring Hill substation.” [Inside NoVa]
Repaving Map Now Online — The Virginia Department of Transportation has started its 2020 paving season to resurface roads. People can look at an interactive online map to see which roads are scheduled to be resurfaced this year. [VDOT]
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to climb in Fairfax County.
According to statistics released by the Virginia Department of Health today (Sunday), there are now 187 cases in the county, up from 124 cases on Friday.
While the latest spike is indicative of increased testing by commercial labs, local health officials say there is evidence of community-wide spread of the illness.
“The case numbers will continue to increase, but we do have some control over how fast that increase occurs and how high it goes,” the county stated.
Arlington has the second-most confirmed cases (84) in the state, followed by 61 in Loudoun County.
In the county, two people have died from the respiratory disease, including a man in his 60s who died on Friday.
So far, residents between the age brackets of 18-49 and 50-64 have gotten ill at the same rates (16.1 percent each), while people age 65 and older comprise 21.4 percent of the total confirmed cases.
Overall, there are 890 confirmed cases and 22 deaths statewide, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
An employee at an affordable senior living facility in Tysons has tested positive for COVID-19, according to memos from the building’s management.
Managed by Polinger, Tysons Towers Apartments (8500 Tyspring Street) offers a federally-assisted rental program for people ages 62 and older and people with disabilities.
Tysons Reporter obtained copies of two memos signed with the name of a Polinger employee.
A memo dated Thursday (March 26) says that a Tysons Towers employee went to the hospital with coronavirus symptoms, later receiving a positive test result for the virus on Thursday.
An earlier memo says that the building management can’t provide more information on the case, citing HIPAA laws.
The employee was last in the senior living facility’s community on Friday, March 20, according to the memos.
“At this time, we have closed the Management Office and have sent all employees home until further notice,” the most recent memo says, adding that half of the staff was sent home on Monday (March 23).
The memo says that the building received a deep cleaning earlier this week, cleaning of common areas has since increased in the building and visitors are being screened with a questionnaire.
The memo includes information on preventing the spread of the virus — like reminding people to wash their hands and social distance.
The Polinger employee who signed the memo did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for the Fairfax County Health Department declined to comment on the Tysons Towers case.
“We currently have 124 cases of COVID-19 in Fairfax County, including 44 cases new cases that were reported today,” John Silcox, the spokesperson, said. “As our numbers increase, we won’t have information on every new case in the community.”
As for cases in assisted living facilities or skilled nursing facilities in general, Silcox said that the health department works with the building’s management on infection control policies.
“These include isolating all residents who have symptoms of illness; restricting congregating and eliminating gatherings; screening of staff for symptoms at the beginning of each shift; discouraging cross-facility employment; guiding appropriate use of personal protection equipment (PPE); providing guidance on enhanced cleaning practices; and implementing visitor restrictions,” he said.
Image via Google Maps
A man in his 60s is the second person to die from complications from COVID-19 in the Fairfax County, according to officials.
The Fairfax County Health Department announced Friday evening that the man acquired COVID-19 through travel and later tested positive for the virus.
“This is a tragic loss and our hearts go out to his family and friends,” Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, the health department’s director, said in the announcement.
On Saturday, the county announced that a man in his 60s, who got sick through contact with a another coronavirus person, was the county’s first COVID-19 death, WJLA reported.
Earlier today (Friday), the number of known COVID-19 cases jumped to 124 in the Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county.
Expanding testing capacity in the state could explain the increase in confirmed cases.
Inova Urgent Care locations in Chantille, Arlington and Tysons recently turned into respiratory illness clinics that offer the test.
“This most recent death, along with the increasing numbers of coronavirus cases we are seeing, is a reminder that we all need to be diligent in doing our part to help slow the spread of virus in the community,” Addo-Ayensu said.
“Please continue to practice social distancing, wash your hands and avoid touching your face, and stay home when you are sick,” she said.
As Fairfax County Public Schools prepare to transition to online learning now that the school buildings are closed, the school board wants to make sure the plan is realistic.
“Launching a distance learning plan to reach 189,000 students that engages nearly 16,000 classroom teachers is a complex challenge,” FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand wrote in a letter to parents yesterday.
Ahead of plans for FCPS to kick off distance learning on April 14, the Fairfax County School Board held a meeting today to share questions and concerns about realistic expectations around the new education model.
“Distance learning does not equal classroom instruction,” Sloan Presidio with the Instructional Services Department said at the meeting today.
Proposal for Distance Learning
Beginning next week, teachers will receive virtual training to begin the transition. Last week, elementary and middle school principals met with the school system’s leadership to receive updates on the overall plan for resuming instruction.
The draft proposal includes closing all third-quarter grades as of March 13 and assigning a “no mark” for the fourth quarter to “allow students’ work in the 4th quarter to positively influence their final grades” for high school and middle school students.
For elementary school students, no fourth-quarter grades will be assigned “due to equity issues of access to technology and limited student ability to submit work.”
The Virginia Department of Education says it will ensure seniors who are on-track to graduate as of the school systems’ closure will graduate on time.
High school students will participate in teacher-led instruction and independent learning. Teachers are expected to contact students beginning next week.
Middle school students will receive learning packets for language arts, math, science, and social studies. Virtual, teacher-led instruction will be conducted for these four classes. Teachers for electives will post learning activities to Blackboard.
Elementary school students will also distribute learning packets to students beginning this week. Teacher-student engagement online will be emphasized, as well as teacher check-ins, phone calls and emails with students. Parents will also receive a published schedule of instruction from school principals.
Students enrolled in special education programs will have access to resources online as well. More information about other programs, including guidance for English to Speakers of Others Languages, is available online.
Draft proposals before the board on learning schedules are below.
Presidio said that FCPS will work to identify students who are not engaged in the learning activities during the distance learning plan and contact them individually to get them engaged.
“Maximum flexibility will be our approach on all these issues,” Presidio said about the overall approach.
Getting Students The Tools They Need
The distribution of 15,000 wireless hotspots and laptops for students in need has already begun.
Currently, staff are pulling laptops out of classrooms and reconfiguring them so that they can be given to students, Maribeth Luftglass with the Department of Information Technology said at the meeting.
“We do feel like we have enough for students in need,” she said about the computers.
Starting next week, laptop distribution for grades three-six will be able to pick up their computers by appointment only.
As for personal wi-fi hot spots, Luftglass said that there FCPS is prioritizing high school students. Each device can be used by five devices, she said.
While FCPS recently ordered more devices, she said that the nationwide supply is starting to dwindle due to demand.
FCPS is working to update its internet access maps for each school pyramid since some of the wi-fi hot spots in the county — like public libraries — aren’t available at the moment due to closures.
To reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Luftglass said that students will be issued laptops one by one by staff who will wear gloves and disinfect the tables between appointments.
When families arrive, they will go through a health screening station before staff help the students log in to their newly-wiped down laptops, she said.
School Board Members Urge Flexibility
Concerns raised by board members included privacy for teachers’ contact information, different levels of outreach to families from schools, how to best support special student populations and the availability of the technology.
Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin said that the proposal might exacerbate the equity issues and achievement gap and urged FCPS to compare how their plan compares to ones for other jurisdictions.
Several board members, like Hunter Mill District Representative Melenie Meren, said that it’s crucial that FCPS remain flexible about student learning as the pandemic continues.
“I hope we can adjust expectations of staff and parents,” she said, adding that she is wary of creating events where students and teachers have to be available at a specific time.
Overall, Meren praised the work that has been done so far to prepare for distance learning.
“I’m relieved we’re not taking in-person learning and taking it to digital,” she said. “I can’t overstate enough how savvy I think this approach is.”
She added that she’s glad that teachers and students will be able to maintain relationships.
“I think there is an understanding that students won’t be able to receive the level of service that they did in the school buildings,” Meren said.
Fatimah Waseem and Catherine Douglas Moran reported this story
Two images in story via FCPS
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Vienna police are investigating reports of a vehicle getting vandalized with paint and a suspicious chalk message outside someone’s home.
Last Friday, a man reported that someone used paint vandalized his vehicle while it was parked in the 400 bock of Church Street NE, police said.
In a separate incident, a woman who had recently received solicitations for people claiming to be from T-Mobile reported that someone wrote “T-Mobile” on her driveway in chalk, police said.
The chalk message happened during the day on Monday (March 23) in the 500 block of Nanterry Circle SW, police said.
“Someone did the same thing on the curb earlier in the week,” police said.
On March 17, police issued a summons to the men and charged them with Soliciting Without a Town Permit after receiving several reports about two men allegedly claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or T-Mobile.
The men were released on their signatures.
Photo via Facebook
(Updated at 11:50 a.m.) Fairfax County jumped overnight from 80 known coronavirus cases to 124.
As of this morning (Friday), the Fairfax Health District has the highest number of presumptive cases, followed by Arlington County, which has 63 cases, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county.
Expanding testing capacity in the state could explain the increase in confirmed cases.
Inova Urgent Care locations in Chantille, Arlington and Tysons recently turned into respiratory illness clinics that offer the test.
Statewide, 604 cases of the virus have been identified of the 7,337 people who have been tested. Fourteen people have died from the respiratory illness, with one death in Fairfax County.
Data via Virginia Department of Health and Fairfax County
Editor’s note: Starting March 24, Tysons Reporter will have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Grab-and-Go Meal Sites Have Curbside Service — “FCPS staff will deliver meals to children and adults while they wait in their cars in the kiss and ride line. Walk-ups are still welcome at all sites.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Hilton to Furlough Employees — “Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will furlough hundreds — if not thousands — of employees at its McLean headquarters as part of ongoing cost cutting measures related to the novel coronavirus.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Student Makes Medical Masks — “When Beech Tree mom Van Nguyen heard about the shortage of medical face masks, she put her sewing skills into action. Her original goal was to make 20 face masks, but after posting about her project on social media, she received a plea from local medical professionals to make more. Beech Tree fifth grader Caroline got wind of Nguyen’s project and decided to put her own sewing skills to the test.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Falls Church City Employee Has Coronavirus — “Officials were notified this week of the positive test — the first of a City employee and third reported in the City itself — by the Fairfax County Health Department who determined there was not a public health reason to report the details of the case to the public… Falls Church officials told the News-Press the employee is not a City resident.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Former Vienna Town Councilmember Dies — “George Lovelace, a U.S. Army veteran and longtime Vienna Town Council member who also served one year as a state delegate, died March 22 at age 83.” [Inside NoVa]
Dry Cleaners Now Open in The Boro — The Boro Cleaners is now open at 8303 B Greensboro Drive. [The Boro/Twitter]
Falls Church Farmers Market is Back — “The farmers market in the City of Falls Church will reopen this weekend, though it will look a little different, after a one-week hiatus out of concern over the potential spread of the coronavirus.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Special School Board Meeting Today — “The Fairfax County School Board will hold a Special Meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 27. All Board members will participate electronically due to the COVID-19 emergency.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Keep on responding to the Census, Town of Vienna! Thank you. #NOVAcounts https://t.co/x27OQtgw7M
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) March 27, 2020
We've mailed out 67% more absentee ballots for the May 5 Clifton & @TownofViennaVA elections compared to last year. Vote absentee by mail so you can #socialdistance: https://t.co/sXGUyau4yx#coronavirus #coronavirusoutbreak #votebymail #absenteeballot #VAelections #viennava pic.twitter.com/Jc16Yp7hXh
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) March 27, 2020
Cherry Hill Park playground is closed pic.twitter.com/joonRbn0tx
— Falls Church Views (@fallschurchview) March 25, 2020
