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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

LOCAL

MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2020 | PAGE 9

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City of F.C.: ‘We Can’t Inform Public of Each New Covid-19 Case’

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On Wednesday afternoon, the City of Falls Church said it could no longer announce each new positive Covid-19 case in the City. “The City will continue to be in close contact with [Fairfax County Health Department], but we will not be able to inform the public of every case in the City from this point forward,” it wrote in its daily coronavirus newsletter. The note cited a recent announcement by Fairfax County Health Department officials that they would stop reporting summaries for each new positive case. “Fairfax Health District is no longer reporting case summaries for each new COVID-19 positive case, as laboratory reporting is increasing from public and commercial labs,” the department said, though total cases in each health district will continue to be updated daily.

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Schools, Non-Essential Business Shuttered in Virginia

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that schools will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year in response to continued community spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, Northam ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses in the state. Exemptions include medical and related businesses, law enforcement, media and food sales services — though all dine-in service was suspended effective midnight Tuesday. “School closures are necessary to mitigate the speed at which Covid-19 spreads and protect the capacity of our healthcare system,” Northam said at his Monday news conference about the pandemic. He added that the state is already working on waivers to relieve testing requirements and ensure that students on track to graduate can do so. Peter Noonan, Falls Church City Public Schools’ superintendent said in a statement that learning plans will still be presented through the school system’s online learning platform, Schoology, through April 10. FCCPS will also be honoring spring break. “While it is the right thing to do to stop the spread of Covid-19, we are disappointed that we are closed for the remainder of the year,” Noonan told the News-Press. “FCCPS is committed to continuing to support our families during the time of closure, getting through this, and getting school opened again,” Noonan continued. “We await the Virginia Department of Education’s guidance that will inform our next steps. FCCPS stands ready to serve in any capacity we are called on to support essential personnel as we ensure the safety of all. We continue to ask that all community members do their part and recognize that we are stronger together.”

Decision Delayed on Saturday Farmers Market in F.C.

Falls Church City Hall officials were still undecided as of press time last night on whether this Saturday’s Falls Church Farmers Market will be on, or not. Interested persons should check the City’s website for a late-breaking announcement on its status. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, in his list of edicts about essential (to stay open) and non-essential (to close) businesses earlier this week, stipulated that farmers markets are, like supermarkets, eligible to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic crisis. While the Falls Church market was ordered closed last weekend by F.C. City Hall, the governor’s ruling has led to a reconsideration here.

Virginia Attorney General Warns Online Giants Vs. Gouging

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring joined 33 attorneys general from states across the U.S. in urging Amazon, Facebook, Ebay, Walmart, and Craigslist to more rigorously monitor price gouging practices by online sellers who are using their services. “We are in the middle of a national public health crisis and the last thing folks should be worrying about is someone charging insanely high prices for necessary goods like cleaning supplies, hand sanitizers, or medicines,” said Attorney General Herring. “While Virginia law offers protections for folks against price gouging, online marketplaces like Amazon, Facebook or Craigslist must be regulated by their parent companies to make sure people aren’t taking advantage of this crisis.”

Sen. Warner Hails Employee Retention Provision

Virginia’s U.S. Senator Mark Warner, saying he personally fought for it to be included in the $2 trillion package passed in the U.S. Senate yesterday, hailed the “Employee Retention Credit for Employers That Had to Close” due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. “It took a lot of hard work to have it included,” he said, “But it is going to mean a lot more people are going to be able to keep their health care and have a job to come back to when this is all over,” he said.