Vienna Cancels Special Events Due To New Coronavirus Outbreak

VIENNA, VA — The Town of Vienna announced some cancellations from Monday, March 16 through April 12 due to the new coronavirus situation, also known as COVID-19. The cancellations apply to special events, programming, rentals, open gym and drop-in activities, spring break camps, and teen center activities at the Vienna Community Center.

Canceled events include the Family Fishing Rodeo, Vienna Photo Show, Prom Dress Give-Away, Old-Fashioned Egg Roll, Flashlight Egg Hunt, and Town Clean-Up Day. Events scheduled after April 12 will be evaluated at a later date.

Most town services continue to operate normally. Town Hall is open normal hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Vienna Community Center offices are open 8 a.m. to 7 pm Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The town’s board and commission meetings will continue with meetings remain open to the public, but the town will follow CDC guidelines related to social separation.

Residents are asked to consider watching meetings online or on the town’s cable access channels (channel 27 on Cox and channel 38 on Verizon Fios). Past meeting videos and agendas are available online.

Registration for spring classes and summer camps is available on a drop-in basis, but online registration is encouraged at viennava.gov/webtrac. Picnic shelter reservations are not available during the cancellation period. Parks and recreation staff will contact individuals about rescheduling, credits and refunds for canceled programming.

The town has been following the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, impact since Jan. 23 and is in regular contact with Fairfax County and Virginia officials. As of Friday, the Virginia Department of Health confirmed nine presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, six of which are in Fairfax County and City.

SEE ALSO: Virginia Coronavirus Updates: What You Need To Know

In light of the new coronavirus impact, the Town of Vienna urges individuals who feel ill to not visit Town Hall or the Vienna Community Center. Residents are encouraged to pay water bills and other town fees at viennava.gov/onlinepayments, mail payments to Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center St S, Vienna, VA 22180, or leave payments in the dropbox at the front door of Town Hall. Applications for zoning permits are also available online. For water and sewer billing customer service, call 703-255-6385; for questions about real estate taxes, call 703-255-6325.

Aside from continuing to evaluate operating status, the town is regularly sanitizing door handles, community center equipment and other frequently touched surfaces. Hand sanitizer and tissues are provided at town facilities, while appropriate staff members are receiving latex gloves.

Residents can find updates and information on the new coronavirus from the Fairfax County Health Department, Virginia Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Town of Vienna is providing updates on its coronavirus page and on social media.

The Fairfax County Health Department recommends the following measures to prevent the spread of illness:

• Wash hands often with soap and water. If not available, use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home while you are sick and avoid close contact with others.
• The CDC does not recommend that people who are not sick wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory viruses. Rather, masks should be reserved for people who are sick so they can protect others from getting infected.