coronavirus

BREAKING: Holiday Wreath Event Back on at Arlington National Cemetery

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:20 p.m. — Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy has directed Arlington National Cemetery to host the Wreaths Across America event this year, despite the worsening pandemic, per a tweet Tuesday afternoon. McCarthy said the event will be held safely, but it was not immediately clear how.

Update at 3:50 p.m. — President Trump now says that he reversed the decision to cancel the annual holiday wreath event this year.

Earlier: The annual holiday wreath-laying event at Arlington National Cemetery has been cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

“Due to the current COVID-19 situation across the nation and within the [National Capital Region], it is with great regret that ANC is cancelling Wreaths Across America,” the cemetery said in a tweet Monday night.

The average daily case rate hit a new all-time high in Arlington and across Virginia today. Nationwide, the number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 reached a new peak today.

The wreath event attracts tens of thousand of volunteers, who lay wreaths at the cemetery’s hundreds of thousands of graves a week or two before Christmas. More crowds of volunteers then help to “retire” the wreaths after the holiday.

In a press release, below, the cemetery’s Executive Director said that officials “did not make this decision lightly.”

Due to the current COVID-19 situation across the nation and within the National Capital Region, it is with great regret that Arlington National Cemetery is canceling Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery and the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home Cemetery on December 19, 2020.

Following a thorough analysis of the annual Wreaths Across America Wreaths-In event this year, and in close collaboration with the Joint Task Force, National Capital Region, we determined that we could not implement sufficient controls to mitigate the risks associated with hosting an event of this size under current and forecasted infection and transmission rates, while still conducting a respectful and honorable public event.

“We did not make this decision lightly. Despite the controls developed to disperse potential crowds in time and space, and required personal safety protocols, we determined that hosting any event of this scale risked compromising our ability to accomplish our core mission of laying veterans and their eligible family members to rest,” stated Karen Durham-Aguilera, Executive Director, Office of Army National Cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery. “We reviewed various options to safely execute this long standing event and held numerous consultations with WAA leadership and local government and public health officials. We understand that although this is disappointing for so many, we could no longer envision a way to safely accommodate the large number of visitors we typically host during this event.”

ANC’s most sacred mission to lay our nation’s veterans and their family members to rest continues during this COVID-19 environment. In order to ensure that our primary mission takes place, and to protect our workforce and visitors, the cemetery is taking this proactive step to adhere to the guidance outlined by the CDC to prevent contracting or spreading respiratory illnesses like the flu or COVID-19.

“Our strong hope is to be able to resume hosting this great event next year in 2021,” said Charles “Ray” Alexander, Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery.  “While many of our families and visitors associate the wreath event with the holiday season, we thank all the thousands of volunteers who had planned to take this time to Honor, Remember, and Explore those who are laid to rest at our nation’s most hallowed ground. We invite everyone to virtually visit the cemetery through our multimedia platforms @ArlingtonNatl.”

Family pass holders and visitors are still welcome to visit the cemetery on their own schedules and place graveside tributes of privately purchased flowers or wreaths in accordance with our floral policy.

BREAKING: Coronavirus Cases, Positivity Rate Soaring in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) Arlington County has just recorded the highest seven-day total of new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

New data from the Virginia Dept. of Health brings the county’s seven-day total to 320 cases, topping the previous peak of 316, at the height of the spring epidemic on May 3. The 320 total cases represents a seven-day trailing average of just under 46 cases per day.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, a key metric, is also soaring, reaching 6.8% today, the highest point since early June.

Two new COVID-related deaths and three new hospitalizations have been reported since Friday. The seven-day hospitalization total in Arlington currently stands at 15.

VDH also reported the highest one-day spike in new cases in Arlington today — 82 new cases — but that comes with an asterisk. The state health department says numbers were higher today because its systems were catching up from a backlog over the weekend caused by technical upgrades. Despite the backlog, VDH reported 50 local cases on Saturday and 57 cases on Sunday.

Virginia, like Arlington, also reached a new seven-day case record today. The Commonwealth’s seven-day trailing average of new daily cases is now 1,594. Statewide, the test positivity rate is 7.3%.

Across the Potomac, the District of Columbia also reached a seven-day case record on Sunday. The District imposed new travel restrictions last week.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced new restrictions on Friday, which took effect this morning. Those restrictions include slashing the maximum size of indoor and outdoor gatherings to 25, reducing the age for the state’s mask requirement to 5, and a 10 p.m. alcohol sales curfew at all dining and drinking establishments. The Commonwealth also plans to step up enforcement.

Ryan Hudson, spokesman for Arlington County’s Public Health Division, said in a statement Monday afternoon that residents should continue wearing masks but should also “stay home as often as possible.”

Unfortunately, Arlington County is indeed seeing a rise in cases, much like Virginia and the rest of the country. As our recent contact tracing data shows, 33% of Arlington’s cases have reported contact with a known case and 17% reported going to a gathering. An increase in people gathering together allows for germ spread, which makes it easier for COVID-19 cases to rise. We know you are likely fatigued by the pandemic and restrictions. But we also know that these mitigation efforts work: Avoid large gatherings, wash your hands, wear a face mask and maintain proper physical distance. Now is not the time to get complacent.

We’re imploring all Arlingtonians to continue to abide by the public health guidance to help us flatten the curve again:

  • Stay home as often as possible, but especially when you are sick
  • Wear a face covering when interacting with those outside of your household. This protects others, and it also protects you
  • Get your flu shot
  • Get tested for COVID-19 as needed; Arlington has resources for testing in all groups, including underinsured and uninsured
  • Cooperate with public health by answering the call to help with contact tracing
  • Adhere to the guidance of a 14-day quarantine if instructed to do so (remember: a negative test does NOT mean you can end quarantine early)

Despite the backdrop of rising cases locally and nationwide, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that preliminary trial data shows that its coronavirus vaccine is nearly 95% effective. That tops the 90% efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine, announced last week.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City Development Approved — “The Arlington County Board today approved JBG Smith’s plan to develop Crystal Gateway, a nine-story office building with ground-floor retail,  at 101 12th Street S. in Crystal City. Community benefits associated with the project include the developer conveying 54,500 sq. ft. of land for Gateway Park, which will connect Long Bridge Park to Crystal City.” [Arlington County]

Teacher Groups Banding Together — “Representatives from teacher associations in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Manassas Park will host a news conference Monday urging a return to virtual-only learning. In a statement Sunday evening, the Fairfax Education Association said it ‘stands with our colleagues from the Northern Virginia region to ask the Governor to return the Commonwealth to a full Phase II of the reopening plan and to recommend that our schools return to a fully virtual method of instruction.'” [InsideNova]

Feedback Sought for Police Chief Search — “The County Manager has launched a search for a new leader of the Arlington County Police Department. During the first phase of the search, the County is interested in hearing from the community. ‘We value the perspective of every resident and business,’ said County Manager Mark Schwartz… You can offer feedback through December 11.” [Arlington County]

Joint Chiefs Chair’s Wife Saves the Day — “When a bystander collapsed at the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Wednesday, a nurse was nearby and rushed to his aid. She happened to be the wife of the nation’s top military officer, Gen. Mark Milley.” [NBC News]

‘Click It or Ticket’ Starts Today — ” The Thanksgiving celebration is traditionally one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. As the holiday approaches, the Arlington County Police Department is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on a high visibility Click It or Ticket campaign.” [Arlington County]

State Sen. Pushing Pot Legalization — “We’re continuing to build a bipartisan coalition to #legalize responsible adult use of #marijuana in Virginia. I am working hard to ensure that ending the war on drugs is a top priority.” [@AdamEbbin/Twitter, Virginia Mercury]

N. Va. Delivered State for Biden — “Updated counts from the Virginia Department of Elections show that President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump by over 520,000 votes in Northern Virginia, defined as the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park… Across the rest of Virginia, Trump, a Republican, defeated Biden by about 70,000 votes, winning 50.2% to Biden’s 47.9%.” [InsideNova]

Northam Announces New Coronavirus Restrictions in Virginia

By ARLnow.com

Virginia is getting several new coronavirus-related restrictions after the weekend, as the upward trajectory of new cases and hospitalizations continues.

Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement Friday afternoon.

“COVID-19 is surging across the country, and while cases are not rising in Virginia as rapidly as in some other states, I do not intend to wait until they are,” Northam said. “We are acting now to prevent this health crisis from getting worse.”

“Everyone is tired of this pandemic and restrictions on our lives. I’m tired, and I know you are tired too. But as we saw earlier this year, these mitigation measures work. I am confident that we can come together as one Commonwealth to get this virus under control and save lives.”

The restrictions, detailed below, include slashing the maximum size of indoor and outdoor gatherings, reducing the age for the state’s mask requirement, and a 10 p.m. alcohol sales curfew at all restaurants and other dining and drinking establishments. The Commonwealth also plans to step up enforcement.

The new restrictions will take effect on Monday.

The rate of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise across the state. Hospitalizations also spiked by nearly 25% over the past week, InsideNova reported.

In Arlington, the average daily rate of new cases ticked down Friday, after reaching the highest point since the spring epidemic on Thursday. The seven-day rate of new COVID-related hospitalizations, however, rose to 15 on Friday, after 6 new hospitalizations were reported overnight.

The full announcement from the governor’s office is below.

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APS Staff Worried About Unsafe Conditions As Some Students Return

By Jo DeVoe

(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) Even a limited return to classrooms has some Arlington Public Schools employees worried, amid questions about safety protocols and the benefit of the in-person activity.

Thirty-three schools opened their doors last week for students with disabilities, as part of “Level One” of the return-to-classrooms plan. Classroom assistants are helping the students to participate in distance learning activities, within school buildings, while teachers remain remote.

“The catch is that they’re still learning virtually,” said one assistant, who spoke with ARLnow among a group of other assistants, all on the condition of anonymity.

Some school staff members also say they walked into buildings with spotty adherence to the protocols.

Several assistants told ARLnow that they cannot be physically distant from students, who need one-on-one care. There are also reports that not all staff are staying home if they feel ill, and the system is not providing employees enough information on cases among staff, according to the Arlington Education Association, a labor group representing APS employees.

The assistants, who have been with the school system for a combined total of 22 years, decided to speak up because APS is not following through on its protocols, she said.

“We’re just trying to get the word out there because we don’t think it’s fair we’re back,” she said. “Numbers are rising. We’re here risking our lives to watch them learn virtually. We want to be back when it’s safe and to the fullest extent.”

In response, APS spokesman Frank Bellavia emphasized that the return-to-school plan is still in the early stages and said adherence is being examined.

“Students have been in school for a week and we are working through making sure our protocols are followed,” he said in an email.

The assistants’ assignments are based on student need, Bellavia said. While students need teachers to support distance learning, they need assistants for one-on-one support.

On Tuesday, AEA President Ingrid Gant said her organization does not have confidence in APS’s return-to-school plan.

“Dr. Durán, the lives of our students, staff, and teachers are at the forefront, while the number of cases in Arlington and surrounding districts continue to increase,” Gant wrote in a letter to Superintendent Francisco Durán. “The delaying of Level Two returns proves you are putting our school system first. However, any references to the APS Engage page at this time cannot give answers to our needs and pertinent concerns.”

The AEA wants the school system to test every room for adequate air transfers; communicate anonymous information related to cases, hospitalizations and deaths; ensure staff can stay distant while students eat; and provide staff with four N95 masks a week.

Bellavia responded that HVAC testing, communication to staff regarding COVID-19 cases, lunch periods and PPE are being done or have already been addressed in previous communications to staff.

“We are committed to the health and safety of staff and students and are following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Virginia Department of Health,” he said.

Meanwhile, the group of assistants said they cannot keep their distance because kids need help using their iPads. Complicating the close contact is that many cannot wear masks, as a result of their disabilities. While students should have doctor’s notes supporting their exemption, many do not, they said.

Others cannot regulate bodily functions such as drooling, spitting and biting, and need assistance going to the bathroom.

“It’s not the students’ fault,” said the assistant. “We understand they have these difficulties.”

Physical distancing may not be able to occur at all times, due to the student’s disability, Bellavia confirmed.

“The Office of Special Education has provided guidance and appropriate methods of providing support that incorporates mitigation measures to continue to support students with disabilities,” he said.

(more…)

Another High Point for New Coronavirus Cases in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

The average rate of coronavirus cases in Arlington, and the county’s test positivity rate, both hit fresh multi-month highs today.

Twenty-eight new cases were reported overnight, which bumped up the trailing seven-day average to 40.9 daily cases. That’s the highest daily case rate in Arlington since the initial spring wave.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, is now 5.6%, the highest point since July. One month ago it stood at 3.5%.

No new COVID-related deaths were reported overnight, but the Virginia Dept. of Health reported five new hospitalizations in Arlington, bringing the trailing seven-day total to 10.

Statewide, Virginia’s COVID-19 daily case count hit a new high yesterday, InsideNova reported, surging past 1,500 for the first time.

Cases are also up significantly in D.C. and Maryland. Montgomery County, Maryland reported the biggest daily increase in COVID cases since June yesterday, according to Bethesda Magazine.

The increase in cases locally comes amid a surge in cases nationwide, as the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors, where the virus spreads more easily.

“New coronavirus infections jumped by 40% over the past week,” Axios reported today. “The U.S. is now averaging roughly 119,000 new cases per day — by far the highest daily average of any point in the pandemic.”

A new report found that restaurants, gyms and coffee shops ranked high “among locations where the coronavirus is most likely to spread outside the home.” But the virus has also been spreading via informal social gatherings — like dinner parties, game nights, sleepovers and carpools — according to the Washington Post.

APS Changes Course, Will Participate in Winter Sports

By Jo DeVoe

Arlington Public Schools will proceed with all but two winter sports, with some modifications, after talks with staff and neighboring school systems.

Swimming and diving, gymnastics, track and field, basketball, rifle and dance will proceed, but not wrestling — given the close contact that wrestlers engage in — or winter cheer, since competitive cheer can be offered outside later in the year, Superintendent Francisco Durán said in an email to families.

The decision comes after public outcry over the weekend to APS’s decision not to participate, which was announced on Thursday. People pointed to other school systems, which are allowing students to participate in winter sports.

“I have received many emails from students and families regarding my decision not to participate in Season 1 Winter athletic competition, due to current health metrics and safety concerns related to indoor sports,” Durán said.

The decision was discussed in the School Board meeting on Thursday, during which a few parents and School Board Member Tannia Talento asked him to reconsider.

Durán said he decided not to allow APS to participate in sports because it would not align with the return-to-school plan, which has been put on pause until 2021.

But with new modifications, such as a ban on in-person spectators and limited to no use of locker rooms, Durán said winter sports can move forward.

“We are exploring opportunities to livestream some competitions for spectators and will share information once arrangements have been made,” he said.

If community health conditions worsen, APS may modify or suspend athletics activities in consultation with health experts, he said.

“We will continue to monitor health metrics and work with school athletic staff and other school divisions to protect our athletes, coaches, employees, and families,” Durán said.

Tiffany McAvoy, the author of a petition to reverse APS’s decision, urged those who signed to email Durán and the School Board over the weekend.

“We want to fill up their inboxes so we can’t be ignored,” she wrote in her update to the Change.org petition.

In the first day after she created the petition, more than 1,800 people signed, she said in her update. Since then, the total has grown to 2,100 people as of Tuesday afternoon.

Student athletes and families will receive additional guidance closer to the start of the season, which begins Dec. 7.

“Our plans are evolving with the current conditions, and we will be flexible and responsive to the needs of our students whenever possible, assessing all options to safely support our students’ academic successes, mental health, and social-emotional well-being,” Durán said.

The Virginia High School League, a statewide sports league comprising public and private high schools, approved a Championship + 1 schedule in September that would allow students to play 60% of their sport’s regular season schedule, starting in December, with modified regional and state championships.

On Oct. 29, Gov. Ralph Northam signed an executive order that allows the proposed VHSL schedule to begin in December as scheduled. In a statement published by VHSL, Northam said the league been a partner during the pandemic and has drafted thoughtful guidelines for reinstating sports.

File photo

Phone2Action Rides Tidal Waves of Civic Engagement in 2020

By Jo DeVoe

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Shirlington Gateway. The new 2800 Shirlington recently delivered a brand-new lobby and upgraded fitness center, and is adding spec suites with bright open plans and modern finishes. Experience a prime location and enjoy being steps from Shirlington Village. 

A global pandemic, nationwide social-justice campaigns and a contentious presidential election: 2020 threw three curveballs at Rosslyn-based startup Phone2Action.

“What a year, right?”

That is Jeb Ory, the founder of Phone2Action, which offers software that promotes civic engagement through mobile phones. Last week he announced that his company is acquiring fellow startup GovPredict, following 10 months of user engagement levels that his staff have never seen before.

“We have had far and away record usage of our software this year,” he said.

Ory called the acquisition of GovPredict a “natural fit” and a “game changer.”

Founded in 2015, GovPredict builds software for nonprofits, lobbying firms, campaigns and corporations. Acquiring the startup will help both companies stay ahead of trends in digital advocacy, he said.

“It became so clear that if we were to combine forces, we would be able to solve challenging problems for our clients, to help them do their jobs better, to have better policy campaigns and make better decisions,” he said.

Unlike Phone2Action, which Ory said had a very active office culture until the shutdown orders, GovPredict has a 100% remote workforce, with many staff in the D.C. area. The 1500 Wilson Blvd office will remain Phone2Action’s headquarters as it continues offering its hybrid home-office work plan to its 160 employees. The company grew by 60 with the acquisition.

Phone2Action’s software proved to be what associations, nonprofits and organizations needed to inform and “activate” people from a distance during the COVID-19 relief efforts this spring, the social-justice initiatives this summer and the election campaigns this fall.

During the week leading up to the passage of the CARES Act, Phone2Action saw 1.5 million people advocate for policies, most of them new to their clients.

When restaurants closed, the National Restaurant Association rallied industry members to share their stories with lawmakers, he said. Another client, the American Nurses Association, changed the conversation around what personal protective equipment is and how to make sure hospitals have them.

“We saw massive engagement because regular people understood how serious this is,” Ory said. “Whatever the role, they wanted to pitch in.”

Phone2Action saw another wave of engagement after the police killing of George Floyd. During the summer of social-justice campaigns and protests, nonprofits saw spikes in online and offline engagement.

This fall, more than 10 million people visited Phone2Action’s customizable “Get Out the Vote” centers. One client, Headcount, ran celebrity-promoted voter registration drives that saw hundreds of thousands of new voters register.

“It’s been exciting and humbling to be a part of,” Ory said. “These issues are life-and-death for so many people.”

The pandemic has also changed Phone2Action’s work culture for the better, he said. With some employees fully remote before the pandemic, and others in the office full-time, the company has had a chance to evaluate what each worker needs to succeed, without priority being given to those who happened to be in the office.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge how fortunate we are to” be able to work remotely, he said.

Photo courtesy Phone2Action

Two Schools, One Gathering: COVID Cases Also Take St. Thomas More Cathedral School Online

By Jo DeVoe

The same gathering on Oct. 31 that took Bishop O’Connell High School online until December has forced St. Thomas More Cathedral School to do the same.

Two St. Thomas More employees tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a Halloween gathering also attended by Bishop O’Connell students who tested positive and prompted the school to cancel in-person classes.

The parochial PreK-8 school in Buckingham told students and staff school would be virtual through next Monday, with in-person instruction set to resume on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

According to the school’s calendar, confirmation, which was set for Monday night, has been postponed and will be rescheduled.

“When Bishop O’Connell closed… my employees went to be tested,” Principal Cathy Davis told ARLnow on Monday morning. “The minute we heard about the positive tests, we looked at our protocols.”

The children and staff of the parochial school are divided into cohorts so that one or two classrooms can isolate if a case appears. But her team decided that the smartest thing to do was to revert to virtual, she said, adding that the transition was easy since the prep work had already been done distributing devices and setting up Google Classrooms.

Davis said administrative staff will be drafting on a report after this series of events and will see what lessons can be learned, such as whether employees have to sign certain COVID-19 commitments. Currently, the school operates on the honor system, with a pledge to prioritizing student safety.

Unlike Bishop O’Connell students, whose return is scheduled for Dec. 1, St. Thomas More students and staff, including the two who tested positive, are slated to return prior to the Thanksgiving break.

“In terms of Pre-K and second-grade children, the better way is in-person,” Davis said. “Our goal is to be in-person.”

When Davis broke the news to parents, she said she “expected unrest,” since 83% of population are dual-working parents.

“Even I have been amazed at how positive everyone is,” she said.

She predicted the school will transition right back to in-person classes.

“Certainly I wish this didn’t happen, but if it has to happen, it’s nice to know we have a strong community who gets this is our new normal,” Davis said.

In October, officials from the Arlington Public Health Division repeatedly warned against celebrating Halloween with trick-or-treating, nightlife and indoor gatherings. Cases in the county, meanwhile, are on an upswing and just reached a fresh peak since the initial spring wave.

JUST IN: Coronavirus Cases Surging in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) After a brief pause in its upward trajectory, the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in Arlington is continuing to surge.

In what might be called a third wave of the virus — after the initial explosion of cases in the spring and a more modest summer wave that peaked in August — the seven-day infection average in the county crossed the 40 cases-per-day mark today.

There have been 282 new cases over the past week, or 40.3 per day, the highest point in Arlington since May 30. On Sunday the cumulative number of cases in Arlington crossed the 5,000 mark and, as of today, stands at 5,060.

Meanwhile, as of Sunday, “the number of new COVID-19 cases in Northern Virginia has topped 400 for three successive days, a rate not seen since late May,” according to InsideNova. Statewide, Virginia’s seven-day daily case average reached 1,437 today, a fresh record.

There is some good news, however. For one, newly-released vaccine trial data shows highly promising results, renewing hopes for an end to the pandemic in 2021 while sending the stock market soaring.

In Arlington, the surge of new cases has not yet resulted in a corresponding surge in hospitalizations. The Virginia Dept. of Health has only reported six new hospitalizations here over the past week. One new COVID-related death — the first since Oct. 24 — was reported over the weekend.

At the same time, demographically the growth in new cases has continued to be skewed toward younger people, who are less likely to get seriously ill with coronavirus complication than those who are older.

In the past roughly three months, more than ten times as many people in the 20-29 age range have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Arlington as compared to those in the 70-79 range.

In terms of hospitalizations, the national picture is more concerning.

“In an unprecedented weekend of Covid-19 infections, nearly all of the US is seeing cases rise as the national total teeters near 10 million,” CNN reported today. “There were 105,927 new coronavirus cases reported on Sunday, marking the 5th day in a row that cases topped 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.”

“The Covid Tracking Project said the US could see a record number of hospitalizations in just a few days,” the article adds.

Twenty-three U.S. states set single-day coronavirus case records last week, Axios reported.

Bishop O’Connell High School Goes Fully Virtual After Two COVID-19 Cases Reported

By Jo DeVoe

Bishop O’Connell High School went fully virtual on Friday, and will remain so until December, out of an abundance of caution after two positive cases came to administrators’ attention.

The two cases were traced to what head of school Bill Crittenberger called “an off-campus gathering” with “quite a few young people” on Halloween (Oct. 31).

The two cases, one confirmed and one presumed, were reported to the school on Wednesday. The second case was confirmed on Thursday. The two students likely came to school on Tuesday, with the 500-student cohort that comes Tuesdays and Thursday, though it’s also possible one or both were in on Wednesday, with another 500-student cohort comes in on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Given the uncertainty and the number of students at the gathering, administrators decided it made more sense to go virtual than to quarantine specific individuals.

“We felt like it’s not as simple as flipping a switch, but staff was seasoned from having done it in the spring,” Crittenberger said of moving to virtual learning. “I’m really proud of how O’Connell transitioned in less than 24 hours,” he said.

The school, in Arlington’s East Falls Church neighborhood, does not itself provide tests for students. Both families independently got tested and notified the school.

Although some schools may be more explicit about asking students to agree to COVID-19 norms, he said the expectation at DJO is that students follow Catholic social teaching and the commandment to “love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

“To be fair, some of the things that this gathering were about put folks in a spot that wasn’t ideal,” said Crittenberger.

Otherwise, everybody has been extraordinarily compliant about social-distancing and wearing masks, he said.

The students and faculty will be fully virtual for two weeks, which leads into the Thanksgiving break. Their first day back will be Dec. 1, a Tuesday.

Crittenberger said the response to the closure was fairly minimal and largely positive, with some suggesting that the virtual learning be reduced to one week.

“We’ve tried to be lockstep with the community,” he said.

Arlington public schools, meanwhile, will remain virtual for most students through the end of the year.

Photo via Facebook

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