FAIRFAX, Va. — Fairfax County Public School announced Thursday night that they will be closing schools on Friday, March 13 and Monday, March 16 due to coronavirus concerns.
All extracurricular activities and after-school programs, all community use activities not associated with FCPS, and all field trips (including day trips) from March 14 through April 12 are canceled, FCPS official said.
The SAT scheduled for Saturday, March 14 has been canceled. Students that are registered to take the test will receive a message from College Board. The test will be scheduled for a later date.
On Tuesday, FCPS said that they would use Monday, March 16 as a student holiday to allow staff to finalize coronavirus preparations. FCPS said the student holiday would allow staff to "prepare for the possibility of distance learning in the event of a school(s) closure."
All staff are required to report on Monday as it will be used as a staff training day. After-school activities for Monday will proceed as scheduled, adult and community education classes will be held and community center use by outside groups will proceed normally. But the middle school after-school program is canceled.
FCPS also announced they are canceling all overnight field trips scheduled on or after March 11 through April 12. Day trips to New York are also canceled. All other day trips will proceed as scheduled.
Several area colleges are also preparing for the possibility of online learning, including University of Maryland who said they will "continue to prepare for the possibility of moving instruction online and the need for employees to telework," in a letter sent Monday.
American University announced Tuesday that all classes will temporarily move to online platforms effective March 18 through April 6. They also announced that spring break will be extended through Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17, and classes are canceled for those two days.
The first presumptive positive case of coronavirus has been reported in Loudoun County, Va. on Tuesday -- the fifth to test positive in the commonwealth.
The resident, who's in their 40s, is said to have come in contact with another individual with COVID-19 while attending Christ Church in Georgetown. Father Timothy Cole, a Christ Church pastor, has been quarantined at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in stable condition since Saturday.
Tom Smith, a 39-year-old organist for the church, has also tested positive for the virus. Both Smith and Cole have sought treatment and remain in stable and isolated conditions.
The Loudoun County patient is currently doing well and is isolated at home, health officials said.
The other four positive cases in Virginia include a U.S. Marine, an Arlington resident, and a couple from Fairfax County.
Key Facts
- There are 18 people across the DC Metropolitan area who have the coronavirus.
- 8 in Maryland
- 4 in DC
- 8 in Virginia
- No one has died from the coronavirus in the DMV region.
- The first case of the coronavirus in the DMV was reported on Thursday, March 5.