(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) With the first confirmed coronavirus cases in the D.C. area, preparations for a possible local outbreak are stepping up.
Arlington Public Schools said in an email to parents today that it was “preparing for the possibility of school closures in the future, if necessary,” while monitoring student health and continuing to disinfect surfaces in schools. The full email is below.
There are confirmed cases of coronavirus on the East Coast, so Arlington County assembled some local experts to talk about what the county is doing to prepare for a potential outbreak while clearing up some misconceptions about the disease.
A number of county officials fielded questions sent via social media during Wednesday night’s online panel discussion. Dr. Reuben Varghese, the Arlington County Director of Public Health, answered the lion’s share of the questions as he told locals what to do, and what not to do, to prevent the spread of the disease.
As the global coronavirus outbreak spreads and the stock market sinks, both Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools are ramping up their public outreach on the disease.
While there are no confirmed cases locally, and only one “possible” case being investigated in Northern Virginia, local governments, agencies, hospitals and schools throughout the D.C. region are continuing to make emergency preparations.
Amid ongoing fears about the coronavirus outbreak, Arlington Public Schools is barring recent visitors to China from schools.
The action is in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. In a letter to parents last night, APS said any student who has returned from mainland China since Feb. 2 will need to wait at least 14 days before returning to school.
A person with measles might have exposed people to the disease at a local restaurant last weekend.
Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Health disclosed today that the measles patient visited Kabob Palace in Crystal City, at 2333 S. Eads Street, from about 9 p.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. Monday. The patient also spent time Dulles International Airport and sites in Fairfax County, including a hotel and Inova Fairfax Hospital.
With the Virginia Health Department investigating a second possible case of coronavirus in Northern Virginia, Arlington County is preparing for the worst-case scenario: a local outbreak.
Kurt Larrick, assistant director of the Arlington County Department of Human Services, said in an email that the Arlington County Public Health Department is taking several steps to monitor the disease.
There is one thing I have found that my libertarian Republican and social justice Democrat friends can mostly agree on — it is high time Virginia passes marijuana reform.
It is my opinion that: 1) marijuana should be governed similarly to alcohol, legal at age 21; 2) doctors at hospitals or assisted living facilities should be able to administer prescriptions to anyone; and 3) we should create an automatic expungement process for people previously convicted over 21 and have a clear path to expungement for those under 21 for both marijuana and alcohol.
Update at 12:15 p.m. — N. Glebe Road has reopened but crews will need to return for follow up work “in a few days,” the county says. Photos posted earlier today show the sinkhole fixed and the roadway re-paved.
Repairs made overnight to portion of North Glebe Road damaged in Friday's big water main break but that stretch near Chain Bridge remains closed pending inspection. Check back for updates. pic.twitter.com/DNSeLU2bpE
For the second year in a row, Niche has ranked Arlington Public Schools (APS) as the best school division in Virginia.
The Niche rankings are based in part on standardized test scores in reading and math, averaging the test scores of all students. While Arlington can be proud of the quality of its schools, such rankings based on aggregate data hide the disparities in academic achievement among different student groups.
(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) A queso catastrophe has local macaroni and cheese fans feeling blue today.
The Nova Mac and Cheese Festival, scheduled for this coming Saturday in Ballston, has been cancelled, according to messages on the event’s ticketing and Facebook pages.
Arlington is training hundreds of people to use the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone in hopes of saving lives amid the opioid crisis.
The free trainings last a little over an hour and teach participants how to recognize an opioid overdose and to administer naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. As of Tuesday night, officials said Arlington has trained 644 people and given away 518 boxes of the drug.
Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.
By Del. Patrick Hope
