Fairfax County’s top official says new demographic data is expected to get shared publicly soon as the county continues to lead the increase of COVID-19 cases statewide.
Fairfax County now has two more coronavirus outbreaks since yesterday, bringing the total to 19, according to the Virginia Department of Health. There are 17 outbreaks at long term care facilities, one at a correction facility and one at a “healthcare setting.”
Virginia has 108 total outbreaks, with more than half at long term care facilities.
In a Twitter Q&A yesterday, Jeff McKay, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said that demographic case data is expected to get posted online “shortly.”
At this point, the Health Dept is not providing case data on less than a county level. Thankfully, I know this will change soon. The Health Dept will have a dashboard online shortly with demographic case data. https://t.co/OOwdy7v5EQ
— Jeff McKay (@JeffreyCMcKay) April 14, 2020
Overall, 6,500 cases and 195 deaths have been reported statewide. More than 44,000 people in Virginia have been tested for the virus.
As of this morning, the Fairfax Health District had 1,298 cases — 91 more cases than yesterday’s count.
The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county.
In the Fairfax Health District, 256 people have been hospitalized, while 6,827 have been tested.
Yesterday, Fairfax County reported 21 deaths. All of the individuals who died from the illness were age 50 or older, with 18 of the people age 65 or older.
Data via Virginia Department of Health
Drive-Thru Testing Site in Falls Church — “Right by Washington-Liberty High School on Quincy St. is a drive-thru coronavirus testing site. Testing at the site, run by Arlington County and Virginia Hospital Center, is by appointment only.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Vienna Officials Tackle Budget Scenarios — “Because various revenue sources likely will take hits before and during fiscal 2021, which begins July 1, town officials provided the Council with three budget scenarios that calculated revenue losses based upon different dates for when government operations and society at-large return to normal.” [Inside NoVa]
No Reopening Date Yet For Farmers Markets — “Many farmers markets were expected to open within the next few weeks but were indefinitely delayed because of safety concerns over COVID-19, according to Fairfax County’s website.” [Reston Now]
Support Local Journalism! — Our sister site Reston Now now has a Patreon account for $6 or $10/month memberships. If you are able to, please consider supporting to keep the lights on at a local news site. [Patreon]
We recommend people wear face coverings when they are in public settings, especially when it is hard to maintain social distancing, such as in a store. Cloth face coverings should be made of tightly woven fabric and should fully cover the mouth and nose. https://t.co/1XAzn7dOTa
— Jeff McKay (@JeffreyCMcKay) April 14, 2020
The Vienna Town Council has new measures to help businesses and residents struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last night (Monday), the council approved extending the deadline for real estate taxes, along with changing the town’s meal tax provision, according to a town press release.
“Even though the Town has its own significant, pandemic-related financial impacts to address, Town Council wants to make what temporary changes it can to assist our restaurants and property owners,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said in the press release.
Now, the first 2020 installment of real estate taxes in the town will be due on Aug. 28. Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors also extended its real estate tax deadline to August.
As for the meal tax, the town adopted an emergency ordinance that will be in effect from April 14 to June 13, the press release said.
“For the next 60 days, through June 13, the Town will waive any penalty and interest fees for late payments. In addition, the Town will increase the on-time payment discount from 3% to 10%,” the press release said, adding that restaurants pay collect meal tax payments from diners to the town.
As Fairfax County continues to lead the increase of COVID-19 cases statewide, new data says the county has more than a dozen outbreaks at long term care facilities.
Overall, 6,171 cases and 154 deaths have been reported statewide. More than 42,000 people in Virginia have been tested for the virus.
As of this morning, the Fairfax Health District had 1,207 cases, continuing to lead all other jurisdictions in Virginia for the highest number of reported cases. Roughly half of the COVID-19 patients are under the age of 50, while the other half are ages 50 or older.
The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and towns in the county.
More data on the Fairfax Health District, according to the Virginia Department of Health:
- 17 outbreaks — one at a correctional facility and 16 at long term care facilities
- 235 hospitalizations
- 6,618 test results
Virginia has 102 total outbreaks, with more than half at long term care facilities.
Yesterday, Fairfax County reported 21 deaths. All of the individuals who died from the illness were age 50 or older, with 18 of the people age 65 or older.
While the county’s health department has declined to provide more information about cases due to privacy laws, the state’s health department has started to provide more information about outbreaks and hospitalizations by health district.
Fairfax County Residents to Receive Health Alert Toolkit
Fairfax County announced yesterday (Monday) that county residents can expect a COVID-19 toolkit to arrive in the mail soon.
According to the county, the health alert toolkit includes:
- instructions on what to do if you are sick
- actions to take if you are a close contact of someone who is sick
- details on how to identify and talk to close contacts who are at risk for illness if you are sick
The toolkit is also available online in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Urdu, Arabic, Farsi and Korean.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue COVID-19 Cases
In the new weekly update on the coronavirus, the county’s fire department said that seven personnel have tested positive for the virus and two have recovered as of Sunday (April 12).
Of the five people who are currently COVID-19 positive, three had an on-duty exposure that likely caused the virus, the fire department said.
“All personnel are closely monitored by a nurse at Fairfax County’s Occupational Health Center,” the update said. “Fairfax County Fire and Rescue will notify the public or any applicable persons if there is any concern of exposure.”
In addition to the personnel who have tested positive, seven other members are quarantined.
Data via Virginia Department of Health
The McLean Project for the Arts is one of the hosts for the virtual town hall tonight (Tuesday) on how the pandemic is impacting the visual arts in the D.C. area.
The event is also being co-hosted by VisArts, the Third Space Network, and Hamiltonian Artists/DC. The “Strategies for Survival in the Arts” town hall is set to run from 6-7:30 p.m.
“The event will also serve as an information resource for organizations facing the challenge of migrating their public events and exhibitions to the online medium,” a press release for the event said.
The town hall will include short presentations from art leaders and an open forum to discuss solutions and ideas for things like funding, programming, community engagement and more, according to the press release.
According to the press release, guest speakers will include:
- Nora Halpern, an art historian with Americans for the Arts
- Jack Rasmussen, the director of the American University Museum
- Robert Goudie with the Virginia Commission for the Arts
- Sarah Burford with the National Endowment for the Arts
People interested in tuning in for the event can register online.
Image courtesy McLean Project for the Arts
Delay Developments? — “Some county residents and organizations are questioning the Fairfax County Board of Supervisor’s decision to proceed with voting on land use cases and other development matters.” [Reston Now]
Falls Church Senior Homes Fighting Virus — “On Monday, the Virginia Department of Health reported 16 of the 53 long term care outbreaks have occurred in the Fairfax Health District alone and, now, the News-Press has learned at least two City of Falls Church senior homes are battling the coronavirus, with one reporting as many as eight positive cases.” [Falls Church News-Press]
From Liquor to Hand Sanitizer — “Falls Church Distillers’ second batch of hand sanitizer was delivered and picked up on Sunday. By the third week of April, the distillery will have produced over 3,000 gallons. The third and fourth batches are planned for the next two weeks and the distillery hopes to produce another 3,000 gallons in early May.” [Falls Church News-Press]
New COVID-19 Peak Projection — “Easing Virginia’s stay-at-home order on June 10 could result in a significant spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in mid-summer, according to projections released today by the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute.” [Inside NoVa]
Going to Fresh Market? Wear a Mask — “The Fresh Market, an upscale grocery store chain with two Northern Virginia locations, will require customers to wear face coverings due to the new coronavirus outbreak. The requirement is already in effect for workers, and customers will need to wear face coverings starting on Tuesday, April 14.” [Vienna Patch]
As local eateries pivot to take-out and delivery only options, several are fundraising to help make up for declining revenue and to keep their staff paid.
Tysons Reporter has been scouring GoFundMe weekly for local eateries that are looking to raise money to stay open or pay unemployed staff.
Now, we’ve started a list of eateries in Tysons, Merrifield, Falls Church, McLean and Vienna that are seeking donations that we’ll update weekly.
The fundraisers we spotted recently include Falls Church-based Spacebar & Galaxy Hut. People can support the business paying its ongoing expenses and the fundraiser specifically for staff.
Bottleneck Management, which operates City Works Eatery and Pour House in Tysons, has started an “Employee Relief Fund” to raise $100,000.
In Vienna, Pazzo Pomodoro in Vienna wants to raise $20,000 to support the servers, hostesses, kitchen staff and bartenders.
Don’t see a restaurant’s fundraiser on the list? Email the link to [email protected] so we can add it.
Photo courtesy David Endres
The number of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County has passed 1,000.
The county continues to lead all other jurisdictions with a total of 1,164 cases, according to state data released this morning.
Between yesterday (Sunday) and today, 156 new cases were reported.
Overall, 5,747 cases statewide and 149 deaths have been reported, including 19 deaths in Fairfax County.
Currently, seven hospitals in the state are having trouble securing personal proactive equipment.
Roughly 23 percent of available ventilators statewide are currently in use and 5,970 beds are available for patients.
Data via Virginia Department of Health
Flood Warning, Wind Advisory in Effect — The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for small streams in central Fairfax County that is in effect until 9:30 a.m. A Wind Advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. [National Weather Service]
McLean Assisted Living Resident, Employees Have COVID-19 — “An Arleigh Burke Pavilion Assisted Living resident at McLean’s Vinson Hall Retirement Community tested positive for the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 illness, the community announced Saturday. Three employees also tested positive, and an additional employee is under investigation as a potential case.” [Patch]
Governor Signs New Election Laws — “New laws signed by Gov. Ralph Northam over the weekend will end Virginia’s voter ID law, make Election Day a state holiday and allow no-excuse absentee voting.” [Inside NoVa]
Merrifield Apartment Fire — On Saturday, Fairfax County firefighters extinguished a fire reportedly in the laundry room of an apartment in the 2700 block of Keystone Lane. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Local Daycare Face COVID-19 Challenges — “The state’s new rules for in-home daycare put both parents and providers in a bind, but some local in-home providers are striving to work within the guidelines and stay in business.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Rain moving through the area this morning, with pockets of moderate to heavy rain over the metros. The threat for strong winds and heavy rain will continue, with the potential for severe storms capable of producing damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes into this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/LJcA0UEBcM
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 13, 2020
#Merrifield-based @ECStechHQ is helping the Navy deliver COVID-19 relief services from the USNS Mercy hospital ship on the West Coast. https://t.co/LXYtXjovAh
— Fairfax County EDA (@FairfaxEDA) April 12, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has forced local businesses to either shut down or add safety measures to stay open. For businesses that aren’t open yet, owners are facing new challenges to decide if or when to debut.
Tysons Reporter found out the new debut plans for three upcoming businesses, which were originally slated to open this spring.
Over in Vienna, plans are still in the works to turn the former home of Posh! (419B Maple Ave. E.) into a Virginia ABC store.
The store was originally expecting to open sometime in May or June.
Dawn Eischen, a Virginia ABC spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter that plans are still on track to relocate the ABC store at 436 Maple Ave. E. to the Maple Avenue Shopping Center space this spring.
“We’re still moving forward with this relocation, but don’t have a firm date,” Eischen said earlier this week. “We’re still looking at the June time frame.”
Eischen previously told Tysons Reporter that the relocation to the spot with roughly 1,400 more square feet “will allow us to provide a wider selection of products, meet market demands and better serve our customers.”
The Palladium’s owners were planning to move their now-closed Arlington nightclub to the Tysons spot.
Currently, The Palladium is closed after the owners canceled the last few concerts in March.
The Salsa Room, which closed in Arlington in March, was supposed to open in its new 15,000-square-foot, two-level home (1524 Spring Hill Road) in late March. Grand opening events were set for the new Tysons nightclub from March 25-29.
Now, Victor Villarreal, one of the owners behind the nightclubs, said that he’s refunded all of the grand opening tickets and he isn’t sure when The Salsa Room will open in Tysons.
“We will open at some point,” he said.
Right now, Villarreal and his brother are working to come up with plans for opening that include different numbers of people allowed inside — 50, 100, 250 — along with other possible safety measures like masks, hand sanitizing stations and cashless payment options.
“I think we’re really considering looking at temperature thermometer you scan on the forehead,” he said. “Our whole plan is trying to keep our staff and our clients safe.”
When state restrictions get lifted, Villarreal said nightclubs will be one of the last businesses to open. “I don’t expect our business to be open until there’s a vaccine or no cases for a couple of weeks at least or a treatment,” he said.
Even if there’s only one COVID-19 case in Virginia, he expects “it’s going to take a long time for people to feel comfortable.”
“We’re the last thing that people are going to want to try to do,” he said, adding that the close contact typical of clubs is completely different from guidelines now for people to stay 6 feet apart.
As for staff, he said that they are waiting for the nightclub to open.
“We can’t pay afford to pay them right,” he said. “A lot applied for unemployment. I know some of them have gotten jobs doing other stuff.”
Villarreal said that he has been negotiating successfully with his landlord in Tysons and utility companies.
“We try to keep a positive attitude but we know nothing is guaranteed,” he said.
The team behind the now-closed Tysons Biergarten aren’t delaying their plans too long to open The ShipGarten — a new pop-up concept near the McLean Metro station.
Originally slated to open this spring, The ShipGarten will now likely make its debut early summer, Matt Rofougaran, Tysons Biergarten’s CEO and managing partner, told Tysons Reporter.
The ShipGarten will consist of a number of themed 40-foot shipping containers, including:
- “The Biergarten” — German and Belgium beers and German food
- Roll Bär — Asian fusion cuisine and Japanese whiskey
- Chalkboard BBQ — a rotating menu of barbecue and international craft beer
- Tysons EuroBar — Mediterranean fare
The shipping containers will be outside, surrounded by a “quintessential biergarten area, family friendly kids area, a fenced in dog area, and entertainment venue,” according to The ShipGarten’s website.
Rofougaran said that patrons will be able to social distance — “Good thing about us is we will have a lot of space.”
He said staffing for The ShipGarten has not been impacted for the pandemic. “Staffing is going to be easy for me,” he said, noting that he’s been in the restaurant business since he was a teenager.
The only coronavirus-related obstacle Rofougaran said he’s noticed is the speed of the work — from architects to construction workers — on the new concept. “Everybody is working much slower,” he said.
Image (1) by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash, image (2) via Google Maps, image (3) via The ShipGarten/Facebook
