Fairfax Schools Remain Open After New Coronavirus Case Confirmed

FAIRFAX, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools will be open as scheduled Monday, March 9 after a U.S Marine at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital tested positive for the new coronavirus, COVID-19. Superintendent Scott Brabrand told families in an update "the Marine has no connection to FCPS."

The superintendent's update reads: "We will also continue to update our frequently asked questions and answers on our FCPS coronavirus webpage as conditions and information changes. The page also contains fact sheets, videos, and other resources that you may find useful. Additional information is available from the Fairfax County Health Department and the CDC."

FCPS has suspended all FCPS-sponsored international field trips and short-term international visitations through June 30. The school district is monitoring recommendations from the CDC and will make changes depending on updated information. FCPS has also outlined its preparation plan in response to the COVID-19.

The Marine, a Marine Base Quantico resident, had recently come back to the United States after traveling overseas for official business, said Jonathan Rath Hoffman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon. The Marine is being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

There are two presumptive coronavirus cases in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Along with the case at Fort Belvoir, a Fairfax City resident tested positive. The resident in his or her 80s traveled on a Nile River cruise and began developing symptoms of respiratory illness on Feb. 28. The patient was hospitalized on March 5 and is in stable condition.

State and local health officials will discuss the two cases in a news conference at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 8. There are seven pending test results in Virginia for possible cases, and 139 people are under public health monitoring.

Upon confirming the first new coronavirus case on Saturday, Virginia health officials said there is no evidence that the virus is spreading in Virginia and that the risk is low.

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The new coronavirus was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Symptoms are fever, cough, difficulty breathing and pneumonia, resulting in anything from mild respiratory issues to death.

The virus spreads between those closer than 6 feet apart through respiratory droplets when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes and the droplets get into the mouths or noses of others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A bipartisan $8.7 billion emergency funding bill was passed last week to help Virginia and other states combat the outbreak through diagnostic testing, vaccine development and equipment.

Health officials urge residents to take the following precautions to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

For more information, the Virginia Department of Health's coronavirus website shows the number of test results and those being monitored for the illness in Virginia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also provided a coronavirus disease situation summary.