Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd) has launched a pair of initiatives to try to help restaurants hold on through the pandemic.
First, the mall is offering anyone who orders $50 worth of takeout or delivery from a Ballston Quarter restaurant and submits an itemized receipt a $20 prepaid Visa card as a reward.
With cabin fever setting in after weeks of mostly staying at home, large crowds gathered yesterday, on Cinco de Mayo, to pick up to-go tacos, margaritas and other Mexican fare at restaurants across Arlington.
Among the popular spots: Uncle Julio’s in Ballston, District Taco in Rosslyn, Guapo’s in Shirlington, and TTT and Don Tito in Clarendon. For some, it was a welcome boost for some local businesses. For others, it was an unnecessary danger.
(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Arlington County has grown its public health workforce more than 10x since January amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“At the start of this emergency in January, we had approximately 15 members in Public Health leading response efforts,” Arlington Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese tells ARLnow. “We have since expanded to more than 250, including many resources from other parts of the Department of Human Services, temporary reassignments from other County departments and community volunteers.”
Hope for Arlington Summer Camps — ” As summer is approaching, we know many families are anxiously awaiting information on Summer Camp 2020. While we hope to operate summer camp this year, the ultimate decision will be based on our ability to operate safely within national and state guidelines.” [Dept. of Parks and Recreation]
County Board Primary Cancelled — “The Democratic Primary for County Board, originally scheduled for June 9, 2020 and subsequently delayed until June 23, 2020, will not be held… Accordingly, Libby T. Garvey is the Democratic nominee for County Board in the General Election to be held on November 3, 2020.” [Arlington County]
After a run of bad luck, Joe’s Place Pizza and Pasta at 5555 Lee Highway is planning a comeback starting this afternoon (Tuesday).
As if a global pandemic that has battered the restaurant industry wasn’t enough, the topping was when the main oven at Joe’s Place suffered a serious breakdown in mid-April that required waiting on both parts and repairs.
Arlington-based Marymount University says it is planning for face-to-face classes in the fall, despite the pandemic.
Marymount’s Tuesday morning announcement comes as some universities consider keeping students off campus or even holding classes in tents instead of indoor classrooms, in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. While the virus typically affects older people and those with preexisting conditions more severely, college-aged adults can get sick — and can spread the disease to others.
As Virginia moves towards reopening, the number of coronavirus cases in the state has risen above another milestone: there are now more than 20,000 known cases in the state.
The latest Virginia Dept. of Health data reports 20,256 cases, 2,773 hospitalizations, 713 deaths and 127,938 tests administered.
Social Distancing Decline in Arlington? — “On April 20 in Arlington County, Va., nearly half of cellphones that SafeGraph provided data for were staying at home. Over the next couple days in that suburb of Washington, D.C., the number declined to one-third — as low as it was during the middle of March. It has since increased but is still down from its peak.” [NPR]
Masks Now Required at Costco — “Costco has announced new guidelines for its stores and is requiring all customers — age 3 and older — to wear masks before entering stores beginning Monday, May 4.” [MSN]
While coronavirus has disrupted the businesses of local restaurants across the country, a new one is popping up in Shirlington despite the tough times for the industry.
New fast-casual Mexican restaurant TACO + PINA is scheduled to open tomorrow (Tuesday) on Cinco de Mayo. The eatery is located at 4041 Campbell Avenue, formerly Lotus Grill and Noodles.
(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) You might be able to get a haircut in Virginia by mid-month.
Gov. Ralph Northam held a press conference this afternoon in which he announced that “Phase 1” of the Commonwealth’s easing of restrictions is likely to start on Friday, May 15 — in about a week and a half. In the meantime, Northam extended the closure of non-essential businesses through May 14, and said his stay-at-home order will become a “safer at home” recommendation.
Coronavirus continues to spread in Arlington, as the rate of increase continues to rise steadily.
Over the weekend an additional 135 COVID-19 cases were reported, including 62 new cases on Sunday, Arlington’s highest one-day tally so far. There are now 1,139 known cases in Arlington, plus 194 hospitalizations, 47 deaths and 12 outbreaks, according to the latest Virginia Dept. of Health data.
County May Get Million from CARES Act — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam “is considering a plan to distribute $3 billion of CARES cash using a formula that considers in economic need, a way to send more money to places like Lee County or Petersburg and less money to places like Alexandria and Arlington.” [@MichaelLeePope/Twitter, WVTF]
Arlington Trail Usage Way Up — “Trail counts are up 50% above average, on the weekends. Try an alternative route. Protect yourself and others by avoiding crowded trails.” [@BikeArlington/Twitter]
