Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn is encouraging residents to give back to their communities as growing concerns about the coronavirus prompt event cancellations and working remotely.
Alcorn, who represents Vienna and Reston on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, took to social media last week to let local organizations and nonprofits know that his office wants to connect them to volunteers and needed assistance.
“Whenever we have the opportunity to step up and help, we should,” Alcorn told Tysons Reporter. “There’s a lot of concern in the community.”
Alcorn said that local organizations are expecting higher demands for food and assistance, especially from people who work in the service industries who have limited or no sick leave and for seniors, who are at a higher risk of getting more severely ill from the virus.
“The anxiety level, particularly for seniors, is very high,” he said, noting that there is a “sizable” elderly community in the Hunter Mill District.
As of Sunday, March 15, the Virginia Department of Health says there are 10 presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Fairfax County — a number that officials say is expected to grow.
“I think we can do a lot as we get through this public health challenge by reaching out to our more vulnerable communities and our neighbors and let them know that we care,” he said.
By Friday (March 13), Alcorn’s office had created a “How to Help Your Neighbors” list on the Hunter Mill District page on the Fairfax County website.
“Locally, specifically in Hunter Mill, we’re focusing on giving folks something to do,” he said.
Several organizations in the Vienna area are asking for financial help instead of volunteers, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
Second Story, which assists young people struggling with homelessness, poverty or domestic issues in the Vienna area, is asking for gift cards.
“Gift cards help meet our immediate needs and can also be used for online ordering, for example, if young mothers need diapers but don’t want to risk going in public with their babies,” Christine Bartell, Second Story’s resource management director, told Tysons Reporter.
Bartell noted that Visa gift cards are the best option, but Second Story will also accept grocery store and Amazon gift cards via mail to “Attn: Christine Bartell, PO Box 694, Dunn Loring, VA 22027.”
“Since we’re limiting contact between youth and volunteers, gift cards for food will be especially important,” Bartell said.
Meanwhile, the Committee for Helping Others is urging people to donate online, send a check to “CHO, P.O. Box 233, Vienna, VA 22183” or to select “CHO Inc.” as the charity to support while shopping on Amazon Smile.
Alcorn added that he is frequently discussing the coronavirus with Town of Vienna officials and communicating with them about the needs of organizations in the town.
Alcorn emphasized “one overall need that also we want to make sure gets out there” — blood donations.
“A lot of folks donate blood to Inova,” he said. “We don’t want to get into a situation where [there’s] a low blood supply.”
People interested in the local organizations’ opportunities focused on the coronavirus can also check out Alcorn’s email newsletter and social media accounts.
“You can contact any of the organizations or call [my] office,” he said. “We’re going to continue expanding the list of needs.”
Additionally, Alcorn is urging people to take “normal precautions,” like practicing good hygiene and frequent hand washing.
“My hope and expectation are that our community will rise to the occasion,” he said.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will consider plans to declare a state of local emergency tomorrow (Tuesday) due to the spread of the coronavirus.
In a statement, Jeff McKay, the board’s chairman, said the board is expected to hold an emergency session tomorrow at 10 a.m as part of its next phase of emergency response.
Declaring a local emergency would activate the county’s Emergency Operations Plan and allow the county to quickly mobilize county resources. The board must vote to pass the declaration.
So far, all county agencies have been directed to shift to core functions. Residents are strongly encouraged to conduct any needed business online. All county parks, libraries and school buildings are closed for two weeks beginning today.
The meeting will be broadcast on Fairfax County Government Channel 16 and streamed online.
As of Sunday, March 15, the Virginia Department of Health says there are 10 presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Fairfax County.
This story was also published on our sister site Reston Now.
(Updated 3/19/2020) Fairfax County announced today (Sunday) more closures to prevent the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Starting Monday (March 16), indoor parks, community facilities and libraries will be closed for two weeks.
“The impacted facilities include recreation, nature, community, resource and teen centers, as well as golf courses, historic sites and (permitted use of) athletic fields and picnic shelters,” the county said.
Some of the closures will allow the facilities to be used as meal distribution centers, the county said.
Earlier today, the county said it has closed senior and adult day health care centers until further notice.
Image via Fairfax County
To prevent the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Fairfax County announced today (Sunday) that all of the county’s senior centers and adult day health care centers are now closed.
The centers in the Tysons-area include the Providence Senior Center (3001 Vaden Drive), Lewinsville Senior Center (1613 Great Falls Street) and the Pimmit Hills Senior Center (7510 Lisle Avenue).
The centers are closed until further center, according to the county. “We are continuing to re-evaluate the need for closure and will reopen when it is appropriate to do so,” the announcement said.
Starting tomorrow (Monday), the county will provide meal delivery service to people are who registered.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Virginia Department of Health says there are 45 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth, with 10 in Fairfax County.
The pandemic has prompted schools to close or switch to online learning and companies to ask employees to work from home in the D.C. area.
Fairfax County Public Schools closed Friday for four weeks until April 10. A laptop distribution to students that was supposed to take place tomorrow (Monday), has been postponed, FCPS said.
FCPS announced yesterday (Saturday) the first FCPS-related case, saying that a staff member at Lynbrook Elementary School has tested presumptive positive for coronavirus.
“The Fairfax County Health Department is conducting an investigation to identify individuals who are at risk of exposure and will be contacting those individuals directly to provide further guidance and testing if necessary,” according to the county.
While the schools are closed, FCPS plans to expand its free grab-and-go meals to 18 sites by Monday, including the following in the Tysons area:
- Bailey’s Primary ES (6111 Knollwood Drive)
- Cunningham Park ES (1001 Park Street)
- Graham Road Community Center (3036 Graham Road)
Families can find the food distribution outside the schools from 8-10:30 a.m. for breakfast and from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch.
Additionally, civil jury trials have been suspended for 30 days, starting Friday (March 13).
Capital One says that one of its Tysons employees has tested positive for coronavirus.
“Today, we were notified that a Capital One colleague who works in our office at 8020 Towers Crescent Drive, in Tysons, Virginia, tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) and is currently receiving the appropriate medical care,” according to a statement from the banking giant to Tysons Reporter.
The building is behind Tysons Corner Center.
The statement says that after Capital One learned about the diagnosis today (Friday), the “impacted office” was closed.
“[We] are following recommended guidelines from the CDC and other public health authorities to disinfect the space and common areas,” the statement says.
More from the statement:
We are in the process of identifying and notifying those who came into close contact with this associate to provide information on steps to take if they have symptoms of illness and to ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days.
As our CEO shared earlier this week, Capital One has proactively taken steps to encourage and enable social distancing, including asking those in roles that can be performed remotely to work from home, temporarily suspending all non-essential business travel and announcing increased paid leave and more flexible attendance policies.
We wish this associate a full and quick recovery, and have offered support and outreach to them and their family. As always, our priority remains focused on the health, safety, and well-being of our associates, customers, and communities.
Bloomberg News first reported on Wednesday that the banking giant was asking people to work from home starting on Thursday (March 12).
The memo said that the company will announce increased paid sick leave and flexible attendance policies.
As of late 2018, Capital One, which has 52,000 employees in total, had moved approximately 2,000 employees to its new headquarters next to the McLean Metro station.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated 3/16/2020) Local nonprofit Second Story is asking people to send gift cards instead of volunteering or donating food and clothing to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Located just south of Tysons, Second Story assists young people struggling with homelessness, poverty or domestic issues. In a message today, CEO Judith Dittman said that all of Second Story’s programs will remain in operation.
However, the nonprofit won’t accept clothing, food or other donated items to “help prevent the potential spread of germs through objects as well as limit the number of people who visit Second Story for Teens in Crisis,” Dittman said.
Second Story is also limiting its visitors, telling its staff to work remotely and suspending its volunteers in the homeless, young mothers and teen crisis programs, along with volunteers who provide meals to the programs.
Meanwhile, people can still volunteer in the community-based programs, Dittman said.
For people who want to help the nonprofit, Dittman said that gift cards are needed to purchase items for the programs.
“Gift cards are extremely valuable right now as we temporarily suspend meal donations and youth in our programs, many with hourly jobs, may have a greater need for immediate support,” Dittman told Tysons Reporter.
Christine Bartell, Second Story’s resource management director, told Tysons Reporter that Visa gift cards are the best option, but Second Story will also accept grocery store and Amazon gift cards via mail to “Attn: Christine Bartell, PO Box 694, Dunn Loring, VA 22027.”
“Since we’re limiting contact between youth and volunteers, gift cards for food will be especially important,” Bartell said.
Dittman also shared how the nonprofit is working to decrease the risk of spreading coronavirus, taking steps like sanitizing surfaces more and communicating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The full message is below the jump:
Updated at 4:10 p.m. — All Fairfax County public schools will be closed through school break until April 10, FCPS announced today (Friday).
While the staff development day scheduled for Monday, March 16, is postponed, school offices and central offices will be open that day to let students and staff get their things.
“We will promote digital and online resources to FCPS students that will help student learning continue,” FCPS said. “This work will not be required nor graded. Additionally, FCPS cable channels with learning activities are now available.”
Food distribution will also continue throughout the closures, FCPS said.
Earlier: Fairfax County Public Schools will be closed for two weeks as the state scrambles to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The move was mandated by Gov. Ralph Northam for all state schools earlier this afternoon. Northam ordered all K-12 schools in Virginia to close for a minimum of two weeks in response to the spread to the respiratory disease.
A spokesperson for FCPS said that more details on the closure are forthcoming, Reston Now reported.
As of Friday afternoon, Virginia has 30 cases of coronavirus with six in Fairfax County, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Test results have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
Here’s more from Northam’s office:
“We are taking this action to keep Virginians as safe and healthy as possible, and to minimize exposure to COVID-19,” said Governor Northam.
“I recognize this will pose a hardship on many families, but closing our schools for two weeks will not only give our staff time to clean and disinfect school facilities, it will help slow the spread of this virus. This is a fluid and fast-changing situation. We will do everything possible to ensure that students who rely on school nutrition programs continue to have access to meals, and that the disruption to academics is as minimal as possible.”
Virginia Department of Education officials are working closely with school divisions and the Department of Social Services to ensure students who qualify for free or reduced lunch programs are able to access those programs while schools are closed.
The Department of Education will issue guidance and memos to superintendents across the Commonwealth to provide specifics about the continuity of education, school nutrition, and updated public health guidelines.
Alexandria, the City of Falls Church and Arlington County announced places to remain closed beginning today (Friday) through spring break.
This story was written by Fatimah Waseem and appeared on our sister site Reston Now.
Happy Friday! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Inova Announced New Hospital Visitor Policy — “Inova Health System announced changes… effective at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 12. The health system changed the policy ‘to protect the health and safety of our patients, their families and staff from the spread of COVID-19.’ The restrictions apply even to visitors who are healthy.” [Patch]
Vienna Officials Praise Low Rate for Bond Sale — “Vienna officials on March 10 issued $34.5 million in general-obligation bonds that will pay for public improvements, including a new police station. The town accepted an interest-rate bid of 1.86 percent from J.P. Morgan Securities, as well as a $3.1 million premium, which is a bonus offered by the investment firm to the town.” [Inside NoVa]
Little League Suspend Activities — The McLean Little League is suspending all activities, while the Vienna Little League “has suspended all activities through April 6, 2020.” [Twitter, Facebook]
Immigrants Contribute Billions to NoVa Economy — “A new report on the impact of immigrants in Northern Virginia found they are injecting $57.7 billion into the local economy — accounting for more than a quarter of the region’s $224.9 billion gross domestic product.” [Inside NoVa]
There is no higher priority than the health and wellness of our guests, employees, retailers, and communities. That’s why we are monitoring the current situation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and taking protective actions. To learn more, visit https://t.co/Wup8vbctAP
— Tysons Corner Center (@ShopTysons) March 10, 2020
Updated at 8:45 a.m. — FCPS schools will be closed today (Friday). Late last night (Thursday), FCPS reversed its decision to keep schools open on Friday.
All FCPS schools will be closed Friday, March 13, 2020.
School offices and central offices will open on time with an unscheduled leave policy in effect for 12-month employees. (Condition 2). More details to follow.— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) March 13, 2020
The SAT scheduled for FCPS locations on 3/14 has been cancelled. Students registered to test will receive information from @CollegeBoard. Given high volume of closures, communication from College Board and options for rescheduling will likely be delayed.
— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) March 13, 2020
More from FCPS:
School offices and central offices will open on time with an unscheduled leave policy in effect for 12-month employees. (Condition 2). The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled:
- extracurricular activities
- interscholastic contests
- team practices
- field trips
- middle school after-school programs
- professional learning and training courses
- adult and community education classes
- recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS
School age child care (SACC) centers are closed.
Monday, March 16, will remain a student holiday/staff development day to allow our classroom teachers to prepare for the possibility of distance learning.
Earlier: Fairfax County Public Schools plan to be open Friday, but will give students Monday off so staff can prepare for distance learning due to the recent spread of the coronavirus.
At a press conference today (Thursday) with Fairfax County officials, Superintendent Scott Brabrand said that the public schools are staying open because there is no evidence of “community spread” with the virus from health officials.
“FCPS takes very seriously the COVID-19 challenges that are before the community today,” Brabrand said, adding the school system is “working very closely” to monitor the virus with local public health officials.
The school system is under growing pressure to close its schools due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
“We woke up to have a neighboring school division close,” he said, referring to Loudoun County’s announcement that it will close its schools through March 20.
FCPS announced earlier this week that there is a plan with different scenarios for school closures. FCPS will also have free digital learning and citizenship events on Wednesday (March 18) at Kilmer Middle School and South Lakes High School.
“If we were to have a positive response, we would make a decision to close that school or schools were that was to happen,” he said today.
Brabrand added that the schools are undergoing “deep cleans” with a protocol confirmed by medical officials that “kills viruses, including COVID-19.”
As of 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health says that there are 17 cases in the state, with Fairfax County having the most.
Two new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 were announced earlier today in the county, bringing Fairfax County’s known count of coronavirus patients to four.
Also earlier today, Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in Virginia.
“This is a very serious matter,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said at the press conference. “We must accept this is a changing situation hourly.”
McKay said that Fairfax County is “well prepared” and looking to phase-in additional telework and remote work options for county employees.
While county buildings will remain open, McKay urged people to do transactions online if possible.
Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, the director for Fairfax Health, said the risk for the general public in Fairfax County is low.
FCPS announced after the press conference that all extracurricular activities, interscholastic contests, field trips, after-school programs, community use activities conducted by groups not affiliated with FCPS are canceled from March 14-April 12.
“SACC centers will remain open,” FCPS said. “We will share with you updates about today’s decisions by March 31.”
FCPS said it a review is underway for the food service and food handling procedures and that several parent-teacher associations are canceling school-based events “due to anticipated low turnout.”
Image via Fairfax County
Updated at 5:15 p.m. — Includes more information from Scott Graham.
An employee at an office building along Leesburg Pike in Tysons has tested positive for coronavirus, Lerner Enterprises said.
“We have learned that an individual who works in an office at 7799 Leesburg Pike has tested positive for COVID-19,” Lerner said in a statement to Tysons Reporter.
The real estate developer said that they have contacted Fairfax County’s health department. Lerner declined to provide information on the patient’s identity or their exposure due to privacy concerns.
“At this time, the building remains open and we have continued enhanced sanitation protocols,” the statement said. “We strongly encourage all individuals to follow the recommendations posted on the CDC’s website and in the attached fact sheet.”
Tysons Reporter reached out to the tenants in the building and will update this story if they respond.
Scott Graham, a spokesperson for the Mid-Atlantic region for M&T Bank, told Tysons Reporter that the coronavirus patient is not an employee at the branch, which occupies one floor of the building.
“We sent our employees home this morning as soon as we learned about the case,” Graham said. “The building — including our floor — is being thoroughly cleaned this afternoon, and we expect to be open for business Friday morning.”
Ashley Hopko contributed to this report
Image via Google Maps
