Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria are enticing shoppers back as Virginia moves forward with easing COVID-19 restrictions on businesses.

Both malls are offering curbside pick-up for certain retailers and people can also order food for take-out or delivery from their restaurants.

The malls are open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays, according to their websites.

While shoppers can go to some stores inside Tysons Corner Center, Tysons Galleria’s website says that the inside of the mall is still closed — shoppers can use the curbside pick-up option or visit stores and restaurants with exterior-facing entrances.

Northern Virginia is poised to reopen soon, while the rest of the state has already started the first phase of easing restrictions. The governor’s orders from late March never fully closed the state, though, and non-essential businesses have been able to stay open as long as they limit customers to 10 people or less.

Let us know if you’ve been to either mall recently, and, if so, tell us in the comments what the experience was like.

The show(s) won’t go on at Wolf Trap this summer.

The performing arts center recently announced the cancellation of its 2020 summer season. Concerns about spreading COVID-19 prompted the decision, Wolf Trap Foundation’s President and CEO Arvind Manocha said in a press release.

“For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap National Park and The Barns at Wolf Trap will not host live performances from May through September,” Manocha said.

Wolf Trap has a list of performances originally scheduled from late May to mid-September that shows whether the show has been canceled or rescheduled.

The summer concert line-up included Pitbull, John Legend and Train among the list of performers.

“The continued health and well-being of the Wolf Trap community of patrons, artists, and staff are of paramount importance to us,” Manocha said. “Concern for the welfare of all makes summer gatherings for performances unfeasible.”

The Wolf Trap Foundation created the Music Moves Us Fund to collect donations for education and community initiatives, along with helping the foundation’s operations and promotion of new artists.

People with tickets for summer shows can donate all or part of their tickets to the fund, exchange them for Wolf Trap gift cards or get refunds, according to the press release.

While in-person shows are canceled, Wolf Trap is pursuing digital opportunities this summer for patrons and artists.

More from the press release:

The foundation will be developing and distributing new content this summer from the Barns and the National Park, bringing music from its iconic locations to audiences and reminding all of the grandeur of its performance spaces.

Wolf Trap Opera’s 2020 residency program has been refashioned to continue to provide training and digital performance opportunities for the very best emerging talent in the field; more information about the re-tooled program can be found here.

Wolf Trap’s education programs also continue to be a valued resource for teachers, parents, caregivers, and children in the DC metro area and throughout the country by providing a variety of services through digital and virtual platforms.

BREAKING: For the first time in Wolf Trap history, summer performances at the Filene Center and Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods are cancelled. More → https://t.co/NQqXvzoLoR pic.twitter.com/XMjptdq3nb

— Wolf Trap (@Wolf_Trap) May 22, 2020

Photo via Wolf Trap/Facebook

Weekly Wages in Fairfax County — “The average weekly wage for those working in Fairfax (wherever they may live) stood at $1,735 in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to data reported May 20 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s an increase of 2.1 percent from the same period a year before, below the national growth rate of 3.5 percent (to $1,185).” [Inside NoVa]

Tennis, Anyone? — “Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is following the Fairfax County Park Authority’s phased re-opening process and will be allowing individuals to exercise on high school tracks and tennis courts beginning Friday, May 22.” [FCPS]

Falls Church Gets Federal Help — “Dana Lewis of the City’s Housing and Human Development department reported that $39,095 in federal CARES Act funding has come to the City to buoy its emergency rent assistance program where, so far, 14 requests for help have been received.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Needed: Contact Tracers — “The Virginia Department of Health said Thursday it’s searching for bilingual candidates as it hires 1,300 contact tracers.  It says it will deploy tracking software and enforceable quarantine orders alongside these tracers to more aggressively counter the spread of the virus.” [DCist]

Demolition of Cedar Lane bridge over I-66 continues. More: https://t.co/A9NIA1hW1q pic.twitter.com/tzGkiL9NSF

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) May 21, 2020

Starting May 23, certain Metrobus routes at Dunn Loring and West Falls Church will be relocated to accommodate the new shuttle service for the shutdown. Signs will be posted to direct people. To learn more about the new shuttle service, check out pic.twitter.com/09UIACRolo

— NVTC (@NoVaTransit) May 21, 2020

Virtual Job Fair for Recent Grads Next Thursday — “Participants will be able to browse companies in the lobby, enter their booths, view open positions specifically curated for recent grads, and chat with HR representatives in real-time.” [Brazen Connect]

First Child Case in Va. of Syndrome Tied to COVID-19 — “The Fairfax Health District has confirmed a case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. This is the first case of MIS-C reported in Virginia.” [Inside NoVa]

N. Va.’s Reopening Date TBD — “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday he has not decided whether Northern Virginia can enter Phase One of reopening on May 29… Northam said he is in daily communication with Northern Virginia government leaders and has set no timeline for making a decision.” [Inside NoVa]

Helen Hayes Awards Delayed to August — D.C.-area theater companies will have to wait until late August for the awards ceremony that will determine the winners. Tysons’ 1st Stage Theatre received 18 nominations this year. [Broadway World, Tysons Reporter]

84 Falls Church Businesses Win Grant Funding — “The City of Falls Church Economic Development Authority (EDA) is proud to announce the winners of the EDA Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Grant Program. Each business will receive $2,000 to help with urgent expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” [City of Falls Church]

Summer Camps Canceled — “The Fairfax County Park Authority and the county’s Department of Neighborhood and Community Services have canceled 2020 summer camp programs due to the COVID-19 crisis.” [Tysons Reporter]

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) While most of Virginia has started the first phase of Gov. Ralph Northam’s reopening plan, Northern Virginia localities won’t be able to start easing restrictions until May 29 at the earliest.

The delay aims to give those localities more time to meet five criteria:

• downward trend of hospitalizations over a period of 14 days
• downward trend of positive test results over a period of 14 days
• increased testing and tracing
• sufficient hospital beds and intensive care capacity
• increasing and sustainable supply of personal protective equipment (PPE)

As of state health data today (Tuesday), the Fairfax Health District, which includes Fairfax County and its towns and cities, has at least 8,111 COVID-19 cases — up by 177 cases from yesterday’s count — and 299 deaths related to the virus.

Tysons Reporter used data for the Fairfax Health District during the month of May to see how the area is faring with the five criteria.

The total number of hospitalizations has continued to increase this month, starting with 650 on May 1 and now past 1,100 today.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association says that roughly 4,200 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized have been discharged. Meanwhile, 377 of the 1,497 patients with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases are in the ICU and 199 are on ventilators.

As for testing, the Fairfax Health District has had more than 34,000 testing encounters and its current 7-day positivity rate for the total number of tests is 19.9% — compared to 13.4% statewide.

Positive test results in the Fairfax Health District have fluctuated day by day so far this month — with dips on both Mondays — but the trendline indicates a downward slope.

Data from the Virginia Department of Health shows that the number of testing encounters from lab reports this month have steadily increased since mid-April, but now appears to be tapering off.

The hospital bed and ICU capacities for Northern Virginia hospitals are unknown at this time.

COVID-19 illustration via CDC/Unsplash, data for graphs via Virginia Department of Health 

Updated 6/1/2020 — Corrects dates for second set of live performances. 

COVID-19 precautions are affecting live performances, but The Alden in McLean has found a way to bring shows to people that is similar to drive-in movies.

“Drive-Thru Drama” is set to run for two weekends in July (July 3-5 and July 10-12) with shows from 6-8 p.m., according to a press release.

The theater, which is a part of the McLean Community Center, plans to hold auditions via Instagram submissions.

“Priority will be given to actors who live, go to school or work in the MCC tax district,” the press release said. “There are no age or gender requirements in the script, but all actors must be 14 years old or older.”

More from the press release:

“Drive-Thru Drama” is the brainchild of The Alden’s Director of Youth Theatre Programs Danielle Van Hook. “Like so many, I was missing live performance and knew there had to be a way to safely produce a non-virtual show,” said Van Hook. “Nothing replaces the feeling of sitting with your neighbors in The Alden, but I hope this helps bring a little respite away from the screens and returns a level of normalcy to people’s lives.”

The show will be the debut performance of “Small Change,” a play written and directed by Andrew Scott Zimmer. Commissioned by The Alden, “Small Change” follows the travels of a $1 bill as it journeys through time and space, interacting with different people’s lives and leaving its mark on the world. Actors will perform one, cohesive story through short monologues at various stations in the center’s parking lot. Audience members will be directed to drive the route from actor to actor…

The Alden is placing several safety precautions into place to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’ COVID-19 guidelines such as requiring the actors to wear personal protective equipment and setting up the route so that actors are positioned six feet away from the cars and passengers.

People should note that performance dates could change based on Gov. Ralph Northam’s orders. A limited number of tickets for the shows will be available online two weeks before the opening.

In celebration of Virginia Business Appreciation Month, the Town of Vienna launched a new campaign called ViennaUnited.

ViennaUnited consists of community activities throughout the week and will benefit 1,800 of the town’s small businesses, according to a press release.

Events include bingo, a drive-by business challenge and “people’s choice awards” to local businesses given in an array of categories.

For the drive-by business challenge, people are encouraged to make signs supporting and encouraging their favorite spots by flashing the signs, the press release said. People are welcome to post pictures on social media and use the hashtag #ViennaUnited.

To score bingo points, people can engage in activities such as letter writing, ordering lunch from a local eatery and visiting a community coffee shop.

Though COVID-19 impacted small businesses, according to Natalie Monkou, the town’s economic development manager, event organizers hope this event will give business owners a boost.

“More than ever before, we need to show appreciation to our business community as we also consider the next steps toward recovery,” Monkou said in the press release. “This is a small but visual step in showing our support and showcasing the innovation and resiliency that is present in our town.”

Northern Virginia still has a few weeks to go before Fairfax County and neighboring localities might be able to start easing COVID-19 restrictions on businesses.

The rest of Virginia started the first phase of Gov. Ralph Northam’s reopening plan on Friday. When Northern Virginia hits the targetted COVID-19 measures, restaurants will be able to offer outdoor seating at 50% capacity.

As temperatures rise, outdoor dining — whether at home or at a local eatery — will allow people to soak up the sun and stay out of stuffy or air-conditioned rooms.

While the date for the first reopening phase in N. Va. is still uncertain, we want to know if you will feel comfortable dining outside at a restaurant. Let us know in the poll below and discuss it further in the comments section.

Polling Patience — “[T]hose who will be voting in person at the Vienna Community Center will have to jump through a few more hoops and will not have the chance to mingle with the candidates on-site. Voters should be patient expect a slower-than-normal process, election officials said. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.” [Inside NoVa]

Summer School — “Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will continue distance learning for students during the summer along with targeted intervention services. Virtual learning for students this summer is based on current Fairfax County Health Department guidelines for social distancing and guidance from the state that school buildings remain closed in July.” [FCPS]

State Data No Longer Includes Antibody Tests — “On Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health announced they would no longer include the results of antibody tests in their overall data, though officials stressed that its inclusion did not significantly alter the trends that aided the governor in making the decision to reopen. About 15,000 antibody tests had been included, making up about nine percent of the overall testing number.” [DCist]

Public Libraries to Soon Offer New Services — “FCPL is preparing to begin offering contactless pickup of holds or staff selections on Monday, June 1.” [FCPL/Facebook]

Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Fairfax County can apply for grants through a new program approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (Fairfax RISE) uses $25 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The program is intended to provide immediate relief for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and “address gaps that may exist among complementary programs,” according to the county.

“Our hope is that these grants will help small businesses and nonprofits be able to emerge from these difficult times by retaining employees and preparing to grow in the future,” Fairfax County Chairman Jeff McKay wrote in a statement.

Businesses and nonprofit organizations can begin applying in early June. Funding will be awarded based on the number of employees, with amounts varying from $10,000 to $20,000.

Funding can be used for compensation, capital, equipment, inventory, rent and other critical operating expenses. No grant funds can be used to pay debts to start or close a business.

Here’s more from a press release:

Fairfax RISE will offer grants to qualified businesses or nonprofits that will not have to be repaid. It also specifically establishes a minimum allocation of 30% of the program’s total dollars — or $7.5 million — towards awards for minority-, veteran-, and women- owned businesses.

Not only have these kinds of businesses historically faced difficulty obtaining financing, but they also make a major contribution to the county’s economy. Minority-owned companies with employees account for 32% percent of businesses in Fairfax County, and collectively, all minority, women and veteran-owned businesses employ 80,000 people in the county with total annual revenues of $14.4 billion.

The grant application process is expected to begin in early June 2020. To be eligible, applicants must be established and have one or more location(s) in Fairfax County, including the principal place of business. Fairfax County includes businesses and nonprofit organizations located in the Towns of Herndon, Vienna, and Clifton. Additionally, awardees must have less than 50 total employees across all locations, have been in operation over 1 year; and, with the exception of nonprofits, have a valid Business, Professional and Occupational Licenses (BPOL).

The county also created a microloan fund for small businesses using county dollars.