Arlington has the highest proportion of residents who can work from home in the U.S., according to a new study.
That’s according to financial website SmartAsset, which ranked the 200 largest U.S. cities by the estimated percentage of the workforce that can work remotely.
Another 26 coronavirus cases were reported overnight in Arlington, bringing the total known cases in the county to 280.
That’s the third-highest rise in total cases, with the two steeper increases both occurring within the past five days. The overall case count is more than double that of seven days ago, when 128 cases were reported.
Amazon Not Giving Up on HQ2 Helipad — “The list of nongovernmental aircraft the Transportation Security Administration permits to fly inside the [Flight Restricted Zone], besides commercial fights to and from Reagan National, is basically nonexistent… In a statement, Amazon suggested it hasn’t given up. ‘We recognize there are several layers of approval for such a feature, and will continue to work with Arlington County and other relevant stakeholders as we determine its feasibility for our Arlington HQ,” the statement read.” [Washington Business Journal]
Pentagon Helipad to Get New Tower — “The Department of Defense has designs on building a permanent air traffic control tower to help guide aircraft landing at the Pentagon and is seeking a contractor to carry them out.” [Washington Business Journal]
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is opening its shelter up to virtual adoptions.
“Although we are closed to the public, we still want to give the animals in our care the opportunity to find their new families while still adhering to social distancing,” the shelter said on its website. “To do that, we’ll be setting our shelter pets up on virtual ‘dates’ with potential adopters!”
It’s been one month since Arlington’s first coronavirus case was announced, and part of adjusting to stay-at-home life for many has eating a lot more meals from the grocery store.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Arlington’s restaurants are open and ready to serve you delicious food in the comfort of your home.
Before you ask: no, Bill’s True Value Hardware (2213 N. Buchanan Street) does not have any face masks.
Every day, Mark Ploskina — son of owner William Ploskina — says he gets around 100 to 200 calls with people asking whether or not he has masks. He gets one of those calls in the middle of an interview about the number of calls.
There are more than 250 known coronavirus cases in Arlington.
The county has 254 reported cases, according to Wednesday’s data from the Virginia Dept. of Health. That gives Arlington the second-highest per-capita rate of infections in the state (107.24 per 100,000 people), and the highest per-capita rate in Northern Virginia, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
The hotel industry has been hit hard by coronavirus crisis. Huge hotels are now only hosting a handful of guests while most of the country hunkers down at home.
But that hasn’t stopped some local hotels from showing their community some love during tough times.
VHC Has Supplies, Extra Beds — “Virginia Hospital Center officials said not all of their 394 beds are full at the moment and that the hospital could expand above 400 in the case of a surge… Melody Dickerson, chief nursing officer at VHC, said thanks to changes such as extending the life of personal protective equipment (PPE), under new CDC guidelines, they expect to have enough for at least next month, assuming shipments continue as expected.” [Washington Post]
Bayou Bakery Owner on CNBC — While working to give away food to those in need, Bayou Bakery is facing its own challenges. Chef and owner David Guas appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box Tuesday morning and discussed his decision to close and lay off all of his staff, while also working to apply for loans and eventually reopen. [CNBC]
Arlington officials are reminding residents that it’s okay to go outside during the pandemic — as long as they maintain social distancing and stay out of closed facilities.
With the weather turning warmer, the Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation yesterday posted a reminder to Twitter about the closures and the need to maintain a 6-foot distance from others, including on increasingly crowded local trails. It has also been posting signs about social distancing around local parks.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church (2700 19th Street S.) runs a food pantry that, once a week, provides a full bag of groceries. With Catholic churches in the Arlington Diocese no longer meeting on Sundays, Father Timothy Hickey sent a letter on Sunday to the congregation saying the situation with the food pantry has become increasingly dire.
“The number of families we serve has increased each of the past several weeks, and we anticipate that will only continue to grow,” Hickey said. “At the same time, with in-person masses suspended, our donations (both monetarily and food items) have considerably decreased. Combine those two factors and it is not difficult to appreciate the challenge we are facing.”
Arlington has confirmed another 34 COVID-19 cases since Monday, the county’s second-largest increase in cases since the outbreak began.
There are now 237 known coronavirus cases in Arlington, up from 104 cases a week ago.
