Worldgate Athletic Club & Spa is reopening this week after roughly $4 million in renovations.
The club, which is located at 13037 Worldgate Drive, has upgraded its fitness equipment and added a boxing studio and a system to its indoor tennis program.
The facility also includes video-on-demand cycling, pickleball, an upgraded indoor track, and a new recovery zone.
A golf stimulator by Foresight Sports — called AcuTennis — was also included in the upgrades, allowing users to practice the game with customizable options. The feature has been added to all courts and allows users to access instant replays and control the court through mobile devices.
Here’s more from the company on the renovation:
Worldgate Athletic Club & Spa’s recent multi-million dollar renovation has transformed the three-level facility into a one-stop shop for living well. The club offers 110,000 square feet of fitness, aquatics, tennis, spa and wellness amenities. From state-of-the-art equipment to a large gymnasium to all new locker rooms to a full kid’s club, Worldgate Athletic Club & Spa is amenity-rich. Expert personal trainers, group exercise instructors and spa therapists offer the latest in well-balanced health.
The club is owned by DC-based property management company Rapport and managed by Maryland-based club management company WTS International.
“We’re so excited to showcase the renovated club,” said Gary D. Rappaport, CEO of Rappaport, owners of Worldgate. “As one of the largest clubs in the D.C. region, it was important for us to provide the latest in fitness technology and workout trends. Members, and the community, should be excited to see the new additions. It is a state-of-the-art fitness club and spa that offers everything.”
Photo courtesy Worldgate Club & Spa
Reston Hospital Center is now requiring its staff to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, reversing course on a previous policy that did not require staff to be vaccinated.
The hospital, which is part of the HCA Healthcare, did not institute a vaccine mandate due to a pending court case against vaccine mandates from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In a 5-4 ruling last week, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the vaccine mandate, which covers nearly all healthcare workers, to proceed. The ruling covers two dozen states under federal injunctions that prohibited the CMMS from imposing mandates. It applies to roughly 76,000 health care facilities, including hospitals and long-term care facilities.
In their opinion, justices implied that the court’s ruling overrode state laws that ban vaccination requirements at facilities taking part in the Medicaid and Medicare programs. As a result, failing to comply with the ruling could compromise some health care facility’s ability to serve patients under the Medicare and Medicaid program.
“To ensure our ability to continue caring for Medicare and Medicine patients, Reston Hospital will comply with the CMS mandate and require colleagues covered by the mandate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or seek a religious or medical exemption,” Suzanne Kelly, the healthcare system’s marketing and communications director, wrote in a statement.
The court also ruled that the OSHA mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees was not enforceable and exceeded the office’s statutory authority.
All staff is required to receive their first dose of the vaccine by Jan. 27 and be fully vaccinated by Feb. 28.
The hospital did not provide information on vaccinations rates for staff, although a spokesperson said a majority of its staff are vaccinated.
Angela Woolsey contributed to this report
Reston Chamber Plans for 2022 — The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce is offering a full slate of live events to support local business owners. President Charles Kapur reflects on last year’s successes. [Reston Patch]
Restonian to Chair State Chamber of Commerce — Fred Thompson, chief administrative officer of Reston-based Thompson Hospitality Corp., was elected chair of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. [Virginia Business]
Reston Art Gallery Begins New Shows — Reston Art Gallery is kicking off a new display called Winter Winds. The gallery is on display through Feb. 27 at Lake Anne Plaza. [Tysons Today]
Metro General Manager to Retire — Paul Wiedefeld, Metro’s general manager and CEO will retire from Metro in six months after more than six years with the transit agency. [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Reston Association has acknowledged that technological mishaps resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in additional expenses.
The organization described how it’s working to prevent those types of incidents following a cybersecurity review by information technology professionals with Wipfli, a consulting firm that the organization is using.
The recreational services organization created an IT committee in March that met for the first time last week. RA says that upgrades put in place in 2020 and recommendations it pursued from an assessment report from Wipfli will help mitigate the risk of similar incidents.
“The security of personal information is and remains our top priority and these new processes and protocols will help safeguard our information,” RA said in a statement. “Additional security initiatives will continue to be explored in 2022 with the assistance of RA’s new Board Information Technology Committee.”
Issues with RA’s technological framework and IT practices drew some board scrutiny early last year.
Incidents cost RA an extra $46,000
As part of the IT review, the association recently described three costly problems in recent years.
One incident involved a compromised Microsoft email account that resulted in a loss of over $187,000 in December 2020. That amount was recovered through insurance policies, though, but RA had to pay a $10,000 deductible.
Reston Now previously reported that it involved then-CEO Hank Lynch’s account, according to a board member.
Earlier that year, an individual also accessed the RA website and embedded malware, making the website lose functionality and member access to information.
The organization used a national law firm, BakerHostetler, to investigate, and directed Crypsis to conduct a forensic investigation, showing that members’ personal information was not exposed.
Insurance covered the costs, aside from a $10,000 deductible. That led to the association replacing its website with an interim site through Squarespace.
“The rating on that is yellow,” Kraus said, adding that the website is more of a billboard, though than an interactive portal for members.
Also, a server crash in 2019 led the organization to shift to cloud-based storage. On-site hard drives failed that contained financial data and vehicle fuel log data, requiring the association to around $26,000 in additional costs.
Ratings, recommendations given for IT practices
The assessment review found the organization is reactive — but not chaotic — in four areas: constituent-facing services, IT governance and benchmarking, cybersecurity, and IT vision. Wipfli also found that RA is proactive — but not optimal — in two areas involving Microsoft 365 deployment as well as roles and responsibilities of its managed service provider.
“We rate these key areas from red, yellow, green, blue, to white,” Joseph Kraus, a chief information officer advisor with Wipfli, told RA’s board of directors last week, noting the review showed RA having green and yellow statuses. “Most organizations we evaluate are largely red, yellow, and some green.”
RA’s visual report card, consisting of green and yellow reviews, is not that bad, though, Kraus said, noting it’s rare to be blue or above.
The results come after the organization’s chief information officer, Clara William, resigned in August, just short of two years on the job.
A Wipfli employee, Michael Lockett, began as a virtual chief information officer for RA in November and helped the organization with operational improvements.
He’ll be working with the IT committee to act as a partner with the organization, approve projects, create baselines for communications, and assist RA with other areas.
Wipfli’s assessment also included a roadmap of solutions. Among those recommendations, it said RA should decide if a full-time IT director is needed or if a service should be used. RA currently has two IT staff.
The peak of this winter’s omicron variant surge might be in the rearview mirror for Fairfax County.
After hitting an all-time high of 2,520 cases on Thursday (Jan. 13), the county’s COVID-19 caseload has dropped sharply over the past few days to a current weekly average of 1,919 new cases per day, according to Virginia Department of Health data.
That remains well above previous surges in the pandemic, since the county had never averaged more than 1,000 cases until this past Christmas. It’s also unclear whether Sunday’s snowstorm and yesterday’s government facility closures for Martin Luther King Jr. Day affected testing and reporting.
However, the Fairfax Health District’s testing positivity rate has declined from a seven-day rolling average of 34.1% on Jan. 10 to 29.9% as of Friday (Jan. 14), even with the number of tests reported increasing over that time frame.
With 1,595 cases added today (Monday), the district, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, has recorded a total of 157,537 Covid cases, 4,379 hospitalizations, and 1,267 deaths during the pandemic.
Signs started to emerge last week that coronavirus infections may be peaking in the D.C. area and other East Coast cities where the omicron variant first surged in the U.S. The rapid rise and decline in cases echoes what other countries have seen from the variant, though health experts warn that relaxing precautions too soon could lead to another uptick.
Notably, the drop in cases hasn’t translated into a drop in hospitalizations. In Fairfax County, the rate of hospitalizations related to Covid has stayed relatively stable over the past month, with the seven-day average hovering around five to six cases since the beginning of the year.
Virginia hospitals are reporting a weekly average of 3,871 Covid patients — more than at any other point in the pandemic. The majority of those patients are unvaccinated people, who are being hospitalized at 4.2 times the rate of their fully vaccinated counterparts.
After increasing with their expansion to younger children and the introduction of booster shots in the fall, the pace of vaccinations has slowed in the Fairfax Health District since the winter holidays, the Fairfax County Health Department’s vaccine dashboard indicates.
The 945,418 district residents who have gotten at least one dose constitute 79.9% of the total population, including 89.4% of people 18 and older. The percentage of adults is actually slightly behind Virginia as a whole (89.8%).
In the Fairfax Health District, 837,068 residents — 70.7% of the population and 79.9% of adults — are fully vaccinated, meaning they’ve received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
According to the VDH, 392,916 Fairfax County residents have gotten a booster shot or third dose. That amounts to 34.2% of the population, including 42.8% of adults.
The weekly planner is a roundup of interesting events over the next week in the Herndon and Reston area.
We’ve searched the web for events of note. Want to submit a listing? Submit your pitch here!
Tuesday, Jan. 18
- Herndon Teen Book Club — 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Herndon Fortnightly Library — Teens will talk about a book, “I’d Rather Be Reading,” by Anne Bogel.
- The Friends of the Reston Regional Library Book Club — 7:30-9 p.m. at the Reston Regional Library — Readers will discussing this month’s selection, “Thank You for Being Late” by Thomas Friedman. Registration required.
Wednesday, Jan. 19
- YMCA Open House — 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the YMCA Fairfax County Reston — From workouts to a family swim, check out what the Y’s facility has to offer. Free. Guests asked to RSVP and complete a guest waiver in advance.
Thursday, Jan. 20
- Polynesian Dance Fitness — 6-6:45 p.m. at Herndon Community Center — Get a total body workout with a modern fitness workout inspired by dances from the Pacific Islands and the sounds of Polynesian drums and funky Reggae music. Cost is $24 for Herndon residents and $32 for non-residents.
Friday, Jan. 21
- Moody Blooms — 7-9 p.m. at Pinot’s Palette — Get free wine, beer and cider tastings while you paint. Cost is $39.
Saturday, Jan. 22
- Board Games for Adults — 12-5:30 p.m. at Herndon Fortnightly Library — Enjoy modern board games with other adults.
Sunday, Jan. 23
- Coffee Tasting Basics — 11 a.m. to noon at Aslin Beer Co. — Learn something new about coffee and potentially get a prize. Free.
Photo via Kimberly Farmer/Unsplash
Fairfax County Public Schools plans to maintain its mask mandate despite Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order removing masking requirements in schools across the state.
The school system was one of several in the Commonwealth, particularly Northern Virginia, that pushed back against the freshly inaugurated governor’s order over the weekend.
FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand said the decision was made in alignment with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our layered prevention strategies have proven effective in keeping transmission rates low in our schools,” Brabrand wrote in a message to the community on Sunday (Jan. 16). “We know our students are best served by in-person instruction. Adhering to our layered prevention strategies, especially universal masking, keep our schools open and safe places for students to learn.’
In his executive order — one of several instituted after he took office on Saturday (Jan. 15) — Youngkin said that the universal masking requirements in schools has provided “inconsistent health benefits” and inflicted “notable harm.”
“There is no greater priority than the health and welfare of Virginia’s children,” the executive order reads. “Under Virginia law, parents, not the government, have the fundamental right to make decisions concerning the care of their children.”
Brabrand did note that the school system is reviewing Youngkin’s executive order and will update the community about any changes to COVID-19 practices and protocol if they occur.
The Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics concurred with the school system’s decision.
“Face masks remain safe and reliable, and children have demonstrated their ability to wear them effectively,” the chapter’s statement reads, adding that masks allow schools to remain open.
The Democratic Party of Virginia called the governor’s actions “illegal” and an attempt to “appease the far-right instead of protecting Virginia’s children.”
“It’s a sad situation when local school boards in Virginia understand the law and the science more than the governor of Virginia does,” DPVA Chair Susan Swecker said.
But Youngkin says that while the CDC recommends masks, research has found no statistically significant link between mandatory masking and reducing transmission of COVID-19. He says that many children do not wear masks correctly and that the practice produces a “demoralizing” effect.
The executive order will go into effect on Jan. 24.
FCPS has reported 620 COVID-19 cases after five days of in-person instruction this year. A little over 1,500 students have been in quarantine this month.
Other school districts that plan to maintain their masking requirements include Arlington County, Alexandria City, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, Manassas City, Prince William County, Stafford County, and Spotsylvania County.
It is unclear how Youngkin will legally enforce the lifting of the mask requirement, but because Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, localities do not have powers outside of those enumerated by the state.
Photo via Mika Baumeister/Unsplash
At-home Tests Coming This Week — Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 rapid tests on Wednesday. Each household will be eligible for up to four tests. [The Washington Post]
Redistricting Plan Gets Big OK — The Virginia Attorney General recently approved the county’s recently-passed redistricting plan. In planning jargon, the attorney general granted the county a certificate of no objection, which allows the county to implement its new local election districts as adopted. [Fairfax County Government]
Rapper Arrested After Narcotics Found in Bags — Rapper Vic Mensah was taken into custody Saturday morning after customs officials found a cache of illicit narcotics in his baggage. [Reston Patch]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Roadways in Fairfax County are covered in snow after flurries first started to fall around 1 p.m. and local officials are warning drivers to continue to stay home.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has trucks working on major roadways, according to its snow plow map.
As previously advised, Virginia State Police spokesperson Shelby Crouch said to avoid travel today through tomorrow to allow VDOT crews to safely and effectively work.
“During the current winter storm impacting the Commonwealth, Virginia State Police troopers have responded to 369 traffic crashes and 282 disabled vehicles since 12:01 a.m. Sunday (Jan. 16) through 4:30 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 16),” Crouch said. “The majority of those crashes have involved only damage to vehicles. There have been no reported traffic fatalities during this time period.”
State police have responded to 36 disabled vehicles & 41 traffic crashes in Fairfax today.
Dominion Energy has not seen any power outages in Fairfax County as of publication, according to its outage map, but the company said it was monitoring the storm in Virginia and had crews ready to respond to any damage or power outages.
The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang estimated there was about an inch of snow in the area as of 4:30 p.m.
Winter wonderland in western Fairfax county near Reston, VA with a steady accumulating snow coming down. Cold air seems to be much more stubborn than the forecast models suggested. pic.twitter.com/jZx2b7CKwG
—
DC
Storms (@DCstorms) January 16, 2022
@RestonNow This is when the snow started coming down. It’s adding up quickly in Reston pic.twitter.com/itfKPlPv3G
— Eddie (@WFOcom) January 16, 2022
By 5 p.m., Reston Parkway and Sunset Hills Road near Reston were blanketed with snow as it continued to fall. The National Weather Service predicts freezing rain will begin around 9 p.m., with a chance of 1 to 2 inches of new snow accumulation after that.
Here’s what the NWS says to expect through the evening:
Snow should overspread all of our region by 21Z with light to moderate snow likely for most of the region through the early parts of the evening. A warm layer aloft should start moving into our region at 850 mb this evening leading to transition from snow to a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain for areas east of I-81. Areas along the I-95 corridor should start transitioning first between 5 and 8 pm this evening, with the warm layer continuing to push westward with the transition shifting over the shenadoah Valley by the 6 to 9pm period. The I-95 corridor should become all rain by the 7 to 9pm period as temperatures rise above freezing with the all rain layer likely reaching as far west as areas just east of I-81. Our high temperatures for Monday may very well occur around midnight or early Monday morning due to the warming on-shore flow. I believe the Allegheny front should remain mainly snow with periods of sleet and freezing rain mixing in at times this evening and into early Monday morning. Precipitation is expected to start tapering off early Monday morning between midnight and 2am with snow likely to continue along the Allegheny front into Monday.
A strong low level easterly jet is expected to form late this evening and into Monday evening. Winds of 35 to 45 mph`s will be possible over our higher elevations with 25 to 35 knots possible else where. Continued light to moderate snow showers along the Allegheny front will combine with the strong winds to produce some near Blizzard like conditions along and west of the Allegheny Mtns. We have highlighted this threat in our WSW product. The overnight
gusty winds should taper off by daybreak but gusts of 20 to 25 mph should continue into Monday morning.
(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Fairfax County, as the D.C. area prepares for its second snowstorm of the year.
In effect from 1 p.m. today (Sunday) to 1 a.m. tomorrow (Monday), the alert warns of mixed precipitation that will create slippery, hazardous road conditions.
The National Weather Service anticipates snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches and one-tenth of an inch of ice, along with wind gusts that could reach speeds of 45 miles per hour. With temperatures expected to drop below freezing tonight, travel could be affected through tomorrow morning.
[1/15 at 10:40 PM] A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect tomorrow at 1 PM. The county is expected to see 2-3 inches of snow in addition to some possible ice and rain. Snow should start between 1-3 PM. Plan to limit travel tomorrow afternoon and night. #FFXSnow #VaWx pic.twitter.com/iqzhH22IkF
— Ready Fairfax (@ReadyFairfax) January 16, 2022
The Virginia Department of Transportation began pretreating roads with brine on Friday (Jan. 14) and mobilized snow plow crews this morning, deploying more than 3,800 pieces of equipment throughout Northern Virginia, according to a 10 a.m. snow update.
“Plan your trips now to avoid all nonessential travel on Sunday into Monday, especially during the height of the storm, to avoid deteriorating conditions and to allow crews room to work,” VDOT said.
Fairfax County Public Schools has canceled all activities on school grounds after 1 p.m.
Fairfax Connector plans to continue operating regular Sunday service, but detours could be implemented along some routes starting at 3 p.m.
After the Jan. 3 snowstorm took out power for about 500,000 households across the state, including tens of thousands of people in Fairfax County, Dominion Energy says crews and contractors from as far away as Louisiana and Oklahoma will be on hand to assist with its emergency response.
“Our crews are ready to once again rise to any challenge this storm will bring,” Charlene Whitfield, Dominion’s senior vice president of power delivery, said in a news release. “Customers should prepare, as well, so they can remain safe until our work is done.”
Dominion advises avoiding downed power lines and reporting outages through its website or to 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to ensure the fastest possible response.
For their sake, pls stay off the roads today unless your trip is absolutely essential. pic.twitter.com/pe1r0ncO3y
— VDOT Northern VA
(@VaDOTNOVA) January 16, 2022
Map via National Weather Service/Twitter
Another winter storm is brewing, potentially bringing 3 to 4 inches of snow to Fairfax County on Sunday and Monday (Jan. 16-17).
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the D.C. area, including Fairfax County. The alert will take effect at 1 p.m. on Sunday and last through 7 a.m. Monday, when the snow is expected to turn into a wintry mix with sleet and freezing rain.
The NWS projects total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches as the most likely scenario, though up to 5 inches could be possible. The forecast also includes up to an one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation and wind gusts that could reach 45 miles per hour.
“Snow may fall at 1 to 3 inches per hour late Sunday afternoon and early Sunday evening, resulting in
nearly impassable roads,” the alert says, warning that slippery and hazardous road conditions could affect Monday’s commute.
Preparations for the coming storm are underway, with the Virginia Department of Transportation treating roads throughout Northern Virginia today.
“Since dry conditions are expected, we are able to brine throughout Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties,” VDOT spokesperson Kathleen Leonard told FFXnow. “Drivers will start to see those white brine lines, which really just gives us a little bit of time at the beginning of the storm, preventing ice from bonding to the pavement.”
Leonard says snow trucks will be staged tomorrow (Saturday) so that plowing operations can begin once the area gets about two inches of snow.
Gov. Ralph Northam, who will be officially succeeded by Glenn Youngkin tomorrow, declared a state of emergency today in anticipation of the storm.
“Declaring a state of emergency now allows our emergency responders to prepare, and to move supplies and equipment where they expect to need them the most,” Northam said. “This also gives Governor-elect Youngkin the ability to respond to any storm needs swiftly. I urge Virginians to take this storm seriously and make preparations now.”
VDOT and the Virginia State Police are both advising people to avoid traveling during the storm, though the police agency says all available troopers will be on patrol to respond to crashes and disabled drivers.
1/3 Travel Plans for the holiday weekend? Pls be #weatheraware. Wx forecasts have all regions of #Virginia experiencing some combination of precipitation late 1/15/22 thru 1/16/22. This storm also expected to impact East Coast along #I95 corridor-for those leaving/returning to VA pic.twitter.com/2fpgANjWIE
— VA State Police (@VSPPIO) January 13, 2022
While schools will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Fairfax County Public Schools says students and staff should bring their computers home today in case a snow day is needed next week.
Any snow days will include virtual learning, because the school system already used its five designated “traditional” snow days after a snowstorm slammed the D.C. region last week, disrupting transportation and power networks.
Dropping up to 3 inches of snow per hour, Winter Storm Frida affected 58,000 miles of roadway across Virginia and took out electricity for approximately 500,000 households, according to VDOT, which is part of a multi-agency review of the state’s response after hundreds of motorists were stranded for hours on I-95.
In Fairfax County, snowfall totals on Jan. 3 ranged from 4.5 inches in Herndon to 11.8 inches in Franconia.
Photo via National Weather Service
After only five days of in-person instruction so far, Fairfax County Public Schools has reported 620 COVID-19 cases and quarantined 1,534 students this month.
FCPS has paused 11 classes since schools reopened after winter break on Monday (Jan. 10), spokesperson Julie Moult said in an email, meaning in-person learning was suspended to enable contact tracing.
Virtual classes kick in after three days of absences at the latest, Moult says.
Students with COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days, while those exposed must quarantine for five days, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent guidelines.
There have been 470 cases involving students, about half the number seen in all of December, according to a FCPS COVID-19 dashboard. For staff, there have been 143 COVID-19 cases and 247 quarantines this month.
The cases come after only one week of in-person classes for FCPS. Students’ two-week winter break in December was essentially extended by another week earlier this month due to winter weather, using the district’s entire allotment of traditional snow days for the school year.
Coronavirus cases have surged in the region and country, with an average case peaking at least three times as high as any other surge, which previously had been last winter.
This week, FCPS saw cases involving over five people at the following schools:
- 11 students at Cub Run Elementary
- Nine students and a staff member at Lake Braddock Secondary School
- 24 students and one staff member at Madison High
- 16 students at Oakton High
- 13 students at Robinson Secondary School
- Eight students and one staff member at Whitman Middle School
- 10 students at South Lakes High
Last year, FCPS quarantined 47 staff and 1,411 students in November, and 324 staff and 3,603 students in December.
The slew of coronavirus cases are part of an ongoing surge in infections fueled by the omicron variant, with Fairfax County currently averaging over 2,400 cases a day.
In anticipation of an uptick in cases, FCPS shared a plan last week for handling faculty absences, even as officials reiterated a commitment to keeping classes in person.
The surge has affected other county government services as well. Citing a high number of staff vacancies due to COVID-19 cases, Fairfax County Public Library announced earlier this week that, starting on Jan. 17, all branches will temporarily closed on Sundays and Mondays until April 1.
A new COVID-19 testing site is coming to Fairfax County, potentially easing up the current scramble for tests amid a surge in cases locally and statewide.
The Virginia Department of Health will open a community testing center tomorrow (Saturday) at the Fairfax County Government Center. The site will be set up in large tent in parking lot B, which is in the southwest corner of the complex.
With the capacity to administer 500 tests a day, the site will operate Saturdays through Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by appointment only. Appointments will become available online one day before testing officially begins.
Here’s more from the county on how appointments will be administered:
Anyone who makes an appointment but cannot keep it or finds testing elsewhere is asked to cancel their CTC appointment so that the slot will be free for someone else.
CTC test results will be automatically sent via text or email message to individuals being tested, based on the information provided in the appointment system. PCR test results are usually available within a few days and are very effective in detecting an active COVID-19 infection, even if a person is asymptomatic (not showing signs of illness).
Testing is recommended for individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms or have been instructed to test following a COVID-19 exposure. A PCR test should not be done by those seeking to return to work or school after completing isolation for a COVID-19 infection as PCR tests may remain positive even after an individual is no longer infectious.
While appointments are required, all visitors are asked to be patient as there might be wait times. Please dress warmly as part of the line may extend outside. This is not a drive-in event so attendees will need to park and enter the tent.
The county continues to set daily records for new cases. Residents report that testing remains elusive throughout the county.
Expect the usual array of closings this Monday (Jan. 17) to remember the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Closures will affect public facilities, including schools and post offices, as well as most in-person banking services. Most other private businesses, however, will be open.
Here’s a list of other local services and how they’ll be affected.
DMV
All DMV offices will be closed Monday.
Fairfax County
County offices and the County Circuit Court will be closed Monday.
Fairfax Connector buses will operate on holiday weekday service. A full list of routes affected is available online.
Fairfax County Public Library will be closed for the holiday, but this weekend also marks the start of a new, temporary schedule, where all branches will be closed on Sundays and Mondays through April 1.
Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon will have special programming as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.
Falls Church
Mary Riley Styles Public Library will be closed Monday. Most government offices and services will be closed. The community center will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation will have a program in honor of King at 11 a.m. Monday at the Tinner Hill Civil Rights Monument (South Washington Street at Tinner Hill Road in Falls Church) and a march at noon.
Herndon
The town offices and Herndon Community Center will be closed Monday. Recycling normally collected on Monday will be collected on Tuesday (Jan. 18).
McLean
The McLean Community Center will be closed on Monday, but it will mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a concert tonight (Friday) and a talk on Sunday (Jan. 16), both led by musician Daryl Davis.
Metro
Metrobus will operate on a Saturday supplemental schedule and Metrorail will run regular scheduled weekday service.
Reston
The Reston Community Center Hunters Woods will host its 36th Annual Reston Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration with events on Sunday and Monday.
Both the Hunters Woods and Lake Anne locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday.
Vienna
The town typically lists MLK Day as a holiday. Expect town offices to be closed.
Photo via National Archives
Consulting firm Baker Tilly has been conducting a nationwide search for Reston Association’s next CEO, advertising the position with an annual salary as potentially in the mid-$200,000s.
The recreational services organization has been using an interim CEO following the resignation of Hank Lynch in September.
Lynch, hired in 2018, left for a position as CEO with the San Francisco-based nonprofit WildAid, which seeks to protect wildlife.
To help with finding his replacement, the board approved creating a search committee in August with four then-yet-to-be-named members. But following advice from Baker Tilly, the Chicago-headquartered firm hired by RA, the board rescinded that motion in December, RA communications director Mike Leone wrote in an email.
The position has been marketed with a recruitment brochure that describes the position, community and organization. Baker Tilly created it, RA staff and the board of directors provided input, and the board ultimately approved it, the organization says.
A job posting listed the deadline to apply as Monday, Jan. 10.
Meanwhile, Baker Tilly is looking for feedback from RA members about what they would want in the next CEO. An online survey is available through Jan. 21 at 5 p.m.
“Survey results will be compiled and shared with the RA Board of Directors,” the survey says. “The Board of Directors will consider this information in the evaluation and selection of top candidates and in structuring a competitive interview process.”
The eight-question survey asks for information such as what experience and expertise the board should prioritize in making its selection, what leadership qualities the candidate should have and what areas should the next CEO be prepared to address, such as environmental issues, board governance, establishing community partnerships, engaging members and financial sustainability.
Based on members’ preferences, Baker Tilly will screen applicants and forward selected candidates to the board for consideration — as an interview schedule will be set up.
