In lieu of the scheduled City Council meeting, Falls Church officials will host a virtual town hall tonight (Monday) about the coronavirus.

Two COVID-19 cases — both involving residents at The Kensington (700 W. Broad Street) — have been recently announced in the city.

Mayor David Tarter, School Board Chairman Greg Anderson, City Manager Wyatt Shields and Superintendent of Schools Peter Noonan are scheduled to provide updates during the town hall. Additionally, a Fairfax County Health Department representative will provide a briefing on the virus.

The event is set to start at 7:30 p.m. Viewers can watch it by streaming the video on the city’s website and submit questions to [email protected] for the officials.

After the town hall is over, a recording will be made available on the city’s website.

Image via City of Falls Church

(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) The streets and shops around Tysons are growing increasingly deserted as more and more people stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

It appears that local residents are taking social distancing and staying at home — if possible — seriously from photos sent to Tysons Reporter by readers to a visit by our staff photographer last week.

Traffic data from Google Maps showed that traffic was reduced around 10 a.m. than it normally is at the same time on most Mondays.

The Virginia Department of Transportation’s traffic cameras show few cars on Leesburg Pike in Pimmit Hills, Chain Bridge Road at the Tysons-Vienna border, Route 50 in Falls Church and I-66 in Merrifield.

Meanwhile, I-495 near Old Dominion Drive in McLean had some cars on the highway, the cameras show.

On Wednesday (March 18). Jay Westcott, Tysons Reporter’s staff photographer, noticed a “fair amount” of traffic in the area, but less congestion on I-66 in the morning.

Westcott noted that usually busy streets around Tysons were empty.

Traffic camera footage in Tysons, McLean, Vienna, Falls Church and Merrifield this morning: https://t.co/lUBvJiaKJx pic.twitter.com/cnGaRqyp02

— Catherine Douglas Moran (@c_douglasmoran) March 23, 2020

@TysonsReporter Right now on Route 7 Leesburg Pike.
Photo by Ed Schudel pic.twitter.com/MdIH6XAq1h

— WFO (@WFOcom) March 22, 2020

Not that there would be much to do for people who decide to venture outside — movie theaters, performing arts centers and many retailers are temporarily closed or pivoted to online options, while events have been canceled.

While they are still open, Tysons Galleria and Tysons Corner Center have altered their hours of operations and upped their cleaning schedules.

Local resident David Endres recently spotted seating blocked off at various spots in Tysons Corner Center:

To lower the risk of spreading the virus, eateries that have not temporarily closed have switched to delivery and take-out only options.

Westcott spotted orange plastic fencing around the seats at the McDonald’s at the intersection of Old Courthouse and Chain Bridge roads.

Meanwhile, Endres noticed these signs around Capital One’s headquarters near the McLean Metro station:

While Westcott saw few people in downtown Tysons by the malls, he did spot several people getting fresh air at local parks, like Spring Hill District Park, and along the W&OD Trail in Vienna.

While Fairfax County has closed its indoor park facilities and recreation, nature and community centers through March 29, people can still use the county’s outdoor parks and trails.

Have you recently snapped some photos of what the Tysons area is like right now? Feel free to share them with us by sending them to [email protected] or DMing us on our social media accounts: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Staff photographer Jay Westcott contributed to this story 

An employee at Tysons-based Alarm.com has tested positive for coronavirus.

“We can confirm that an employee who works in our Tysons HQ facility tested positive,” Christopher Basso, a spokesperson for the company, told Tysons Reporter.

Headquartered at 8281 Greensboro Drive, Suite 100, the company offers security systems for homes and businesses.

“We continue to make the health and security of our employees and our communities our top priority and have taken the recommended actions to reduce the likelihood of further spread,” Basso said.

Several other employees at other Tysons-based businesses have tested positive for the virus as well, including someone who works for a tenant at 8075 Leesburg Pike, a Capital One employee and an employee for a tenant at  7799 Leesburg Pike.

Image via Google Maps

Superintendent Scott Brabrand said during a Facebook Live event today (Friday) that he is not aware of any new coronavirus cases with Fairfax County Public School employees.

FCPS announced on Saturday (March 14) that a teacher at Lynbrook Elementary School tested presumptive positive for coronavirus.

“We received no additional information about any of our employees receiving such a diagnosis,” he said.

Lynbrook Elementary School has been “thoroughly cleaned,” Brabrand said.

Fairfax County Public Schools closed last Friday (March 13). “It is our plan to return to school on April 14,” Brabrand said today. “This situation continues to evolve from day to day.”

Brabrand said that grade books are not closed and that students will have opportunities to complete assignments from the closure.

Brabrand said that he is trying to delay decisions on canceling proms and find ways for students to participate in graduations, which run from late May to June.

Brabrand said that a decision will be made next week about the laptop distribution that was supposed to happen on Monday (March 16).

More updates from Brabrand:

• April 13 is still planned as a Teacher Work Day
• FCPS is “committed to pay employees during the closure”
• will share decisions on pay for substitute teachers next week
• working on an access plan to schools for an emergency or critical school supplies
• parents should wait for schools to reopen before registering their kids
• teachers will get distance learning training in a distance learning environment

“This is not an optimal situation for any of us here in Fairfax County Public Schools,” he said.

Image via FCPS/Facebook

The Vienna Police Department has recently been dealing with alleged crimes connected to the coronavirus.

The first incident involved a cyclist and a boy along the W&OD Trail around 6 p.m. on Sunday (March 15).

According to the police report:

A juvenile reported that he was on the bike trail near the Whole Foods Market with his friends when he sneezed. A cyclist who was riding by stopped his bicycle and began yelling at the juvenile about the pandemic. The man grabbed the juvenile by the sweatshirt and shook him, then left the area westbound on the trail.

Separately, the police department received several reports from residents about two men who allegedly claimed to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or from T-Mobile — depending on who they were talking to.

On Tuesday (March 17), a resident in the 500 block of Nanterry Circle SW reported that two men said they were with the CDC and doing welfare checks.

“The men continued to go to other residents in the area,” police said. “At 7:20 p.m., the men returned to the residence, this time advising they were from a cellular company.”

Around 3 p.m. on the same day, a resident in the 900 block of Frederick Street SW reported to police that two men claiming to be from T-Mobile were soliciting door-to-door.

Shortly before 8 p.m., police were able to find the men after a resident in the 500 block of Echols Street SE said the men were soliciting.

“Officer Farr located the two men who confirmed that they had been soliciting throughout the Town during the day, unaware that they needed a town permit in addition to their Fairfax County permit,” according to the police report.

Police issued a summons to the men — a 22-year-old from Annandale and a 20-year-old Germantown, Md. — and charged them with Soliciting Without a Town Permit. The men were released on their signatures.

Photo via Facebook

As malls shut down around the U.S, Tysons Galleria and Tysons Corner Center are currently still open.

Macerich, the operator of Tysons Corner Center, said the COVID-19 situation is being monitored and listed the preventive actions being taken.

“We want you to feel confident when visiting our properties,” according to Macerich’s website. “We recognize that places where people gather, like shopping centers, need to be clean, welcoming and safe.”

Macerich said that it’s using sanitizing and disinfectant formulas recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to clean entrance door handles, handrails and restrooms several times a day and play areas twice daily. The cleaning staff is wearing gloves and Macerich wants sick employees to stay home.

In a statement, Tysons Corner Center said staying open helps the employees at the mall:

Our centers and our retailers employ hundreds of individuals, across many job types, who are dependent on their jobs to meet their families’ needs.  We are doing our best to remain open to serve our community and our retailers and continually assess the situation. We remain in close contact with government health authorities and will continue to implement our intensified cleaning and sanitizing procedures as long as we remain open.

The mall currently has reduced hours of 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays as of March 17.

Meanwhile, Tysons Galleria has adjusted its hours so that the mall is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and until 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Tysons Galleria said that it is letting restaurants and bars decide how to operate in compliance with the recent cap of 10 patrons maximum. The mall is not allowing people to sit in the food court.

As for cleaning, Tysons Galleria says its staff is disinfecting “high traffic areas,” increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning “touchable surfaces” and offering hand sanitizer dispensers.

Around the country, malls are closing due to orders from state officials or by operators over concerns that shoppers and employees could spread the virus.

Fox 5 reported that Simon Property Group announced on Wednesday that it would close all of its retail properties, which include the nearby Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. Taubman Centers, which operates Fair Oaks Mall, also plans to temporarily shutter its malls, USA Today reported.

Indoor shopping malls in New Jersey are closing due to orders from the governor, Retail Dive reported. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan recently ordered malls to close.

A growing list of retailers — including Macy’s, Sephora, Nordstrom, H&M, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and Apple — are closing all of their locations temporarily, leaving the malls that are still open with limited retail options for shoppers.

Diners, though, can find food at malls as restaurants pivot to pick-up and delivery options. Here are what some of the restaurants are doing in the two malls.

Tysons Galleria:

• The Cheesecake Factory — curbside pick-up and delivery via Doordash
• Wildfire — temporarily closed
• Maggiano’s Little Italy — delivery via Doordash and take-out
• P. F. Chang’s — delivery, take-out and curbside pick-up
• Lady M Boutique — take-out

Tysons Corner Center:

• &pizza — take-out and delivery
• Barrel and Bushel — pick-up and delivery via Doordash
• Coastal Flats — take-out and delivery with a limited menu
• Eddie V’s — take-out
• Turkish Coffee Lady — temporarily closed

Shoppers and diners will need to check the websites and social media to see if the store or eatery is open, closed or just open for delivery and take-out options.

Happy Friday. Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:

Non-Coronavirus News:

McLean Student Nabs State Pageant Title — “McKenzie Watt, the 9-year-old daughter of Philip and Andra Watt of McLean, has been awarded the title ‘Little Miss of Virginia’ 2019-20 and moves on to national competition.” [Inside Nova]

Religious Broadcaster Wants Tysons-Based Tegna — “Phoenix investment firm Najafi Cos. is teaming with a faith-based broadcaster in Texas in an effort to buy Tysons-based Tegna Inc.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Format for Vienna Candidates Debate — “The Vienna town government will record and repeatedly broadcast an audience-free Vienna Town Council candidate debate to be held April 2.” [Inside NoVa]

Coronavirus News:

FCPS Prepping for Distance Learning — “If FCPS schools cannot reopen as scheduled on April 14, our plan is to begin distance learning either online, or by learning packets at that time. Over the next two weeks, we will begin distance learning training for teachers and give teachers the opportunity to plan and prepare for distance instruction and reconnect with their students. ” [FCPS]

COVID-19 Hurting Little City Restaurants — “The hospitality industry in Falls Church and beyond is being hit especially hard with the public ramping up its social distancing effort and authorities implementing new restrictions on restaurant and bar service in an effort the prevent the spread of COVID-19.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Tysons CEO Slams Social Distancing — “Michael Saylor, the CEO and founder of Tysons technology firm MicroStrategy Inc., called social distancing measures enacted to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus ‘soul stealing and debilitating’ and stated the company would not close any of its offices around the world unless legally required to do so.” — [Washington Business Journal]

McLean Group Helping At-Risk People — “Unlike most of her peers, senior Sophie Howery has been spending her time off to help fight the spread of the virus. To do this, Howery created the Fairfax County Community COVID Aid Project, hoping to help support those who may be at risk of contracting the coronavirus.” [The Highlander]

How Will COVID-19 Impact the Local Economy? — The Stephen S. Fuller Institute at George Mason University’s recent report says that “the Washington region’s economy will also contract in the last three quarters of 2020, primarily because of decreased consumer spending and lost productivity.” [Washingtonian]

Local public health officials have found evidence that COVID-19 is now being spread via community transmission in Northern Virginia, according to a county press release.

As of today (Thursday), there are 16 presumptive cases in the Fairfax Health District, which also covers the City of Fairfax, the City of Falls Church and towns within the county, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community transmission refers to when the spread of illness is linked to unknown sources.

“Community transmission, or ‘community spread,’ is defined by the CDC as a ‘spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown,'” according to a City of Falls Church press release.

Initial cases of the respiratory disease in the county were first linked to local residents who had contact with North Carolina residents with coronavirus. Two cases were linked to the Reston-based headquarters of the U.S. Geological Survey, according to a recent Reston Now exclusive.

Local officials continue to urge residents to practice social distancing as much as possible. Social distancing involves increasing the distance between people to avoid spreading the illness. Health officials say that staying at least six feet away from other people lessens the chances of catching COVID-19.

In roughly 10 days, the number of presumptive county cases has jumped from two to 16.

Data via Virginia Department of Health

This story also appeared on our sister site Reston Now

County officials are evaluating if the Fairfax Connector bus service should continue normal operations. For now, Fairfax Connector is operating on a normal schedule.

A spokesperson for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) said that changes in service levels are possible in the future, but no plans have been finalized yet.

Overall, ridership has taken a hit, but it’s too soon to tell by how much, according to Robin Geiger, an FCDOT spokeswoman.

The Fairfax Connector’s operations contractor has implemented a more rigorous vehicle cleaning cycle with “a special focus on bus interiors and critical touchpoints such as door handles, handrails, and other surfaces,” according to FCDOT.

The contractor is also working with its workforce to ensure employees are informed about coronavirus and measures to slow its spread.

Passengers should continue to practice ways to prevent spreading COVID-19 by washing hands often with soap and water, avoiding touching your eyes nose or mouth, and avoiding contact with people who are sick.

As of Thursday morning, the Virginia Department of Health says there are 77 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth, with 14 in Fairfax County.

This story also appeared on our sister site Reston Now

(Updated at 11 a.m.) A man living in a senior living facility in the City of Falls Church has tested positive for the coronavirus, Fairfax County officials say.

The Fairfax County Health Department announced today (Thursday) that the man, who lives at The Kensington (700 W. Broad Street), was isolated after he started having respiratory illness symptoms on Saturday, March 14.

“Specimens were collected on March 16 and sent to the Virginia state laboratory,” according to the county. “Health officials have been providing infection control guidance to the facility since testing was initiated, and visitor restrictions had already been in place.”

This is the first positive coronavirus case reported in the City of Falls Church.

More from the health department:

“When COVID-19 occurs in a setting where there are many older people with underlying health conditions, we are concerned” said Health Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu. “We’ll be working very closely with the facility over the coming days to protect other residents and staff and prevent further spread.”

Based on this positive result, FCHD has deployed an infection control team to the facility to initiate an investigation, including identifying the potential source of exposure. Working in partnership with the facility management, the team will:

• Evaluate all staff and provide them with personal protective equipment
• Interview residents and staff members to assess illness and exposures
• Collect specimens on any symptomatic residents or staff
• Provide guidance on infection control activities, including isolation and quarantine and environmental cleaning of the facility

“Our team has been working diligently since November 1 to ensure our infection control processes are strong and in place,” said Amy Feather, Executive Director, The Kensington Falls Church. “Residents have been monitored daily for fever and respiratory symptoms since news of the spread of COVID-19 became public. In addition, team members have been monitored for symptoms of flu and COVID-19 at the start of their shifts. Anyone with symptoms has been sent home, asked to contact their physician and to monitor their symptoms.

“Staff has been doing sanitizing within the community, particularly within high traffic areas. Deliveries have been restricted to outside entrances and retrieved by staff to those in the community. As per guidance from the CDC for health care communities, the community has limited visitors and canceled all events and outings. The Fairfax County Department of Health has been an invaluable partner in helping us mobilize the resources we need to test and monitor the health of our residents and staff. We are extremely grateful to them for their help.”

Seven other people who were sick at the assisted living and memory care facility received negative test results for the virus, the city said in a press release.

According to a statement from The Kensington:

A staff member was proactively taking their own temperature and called out on Friday. They have not returned to the building and are awaiting test results.

Another staff member was told to leave work after developing a fever during their shift. They have been tested and are awaiting results…

Residents have been monitored each shift for fever and respiratory symptoms over the past week. In addition, team members have been monitored for symptoms of flu and COVID-19 at the start of their shifts.

Anyone with symptoms has been sent home, asked to contact their physician and to monitor their symptoms. Staff has been sanitizing within the community, particularly within high traffic areas. Deliveries have been restricted to outside entrances and retrieved by staff to those in the community.

As per guidance from the CDC for health care communities, the community had limited visitors and had canceled all events and outings.  “We had asked families not to visit or take residents out into the community,” said Feather.  “We had cancelled all but critical doctor’s appointments for residents. Our teams are creative and have set up virtual ways for residents and family members to connect in lieu of in-person visits.  They are arranging these virtual visits through Facetime or video chats.”

Feather explained that the community has had plans in place well ahead of this diagnosis.  “Because we deal with an at-risk group of people living in our community, we had detailed plans in place well before this development. The plan follows the CDC guidelines for all healthcare facilities,” said Feather.

The City of Falls Church, which is a part of the Fairfax Health District, declared a local emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, March 16.

“The virus has now hit home for our community as it has for so many communities around our country and around the world,” Mayor David Tarter said in the press release. “It underscores just how serious this pandemic is, and the importance of following the recommendations and mandates of our health care professionals.”

.@fairfaxhealth and The Kensington are fully collaborating on the investigation and taking immediate action to prevent further spread. The City is providing full support where appropriate and is staying in close contact with FCHD and The Kensington.

— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) March 19, 2020

Image via Google Maps