Beyer town hall meeting in Lorton now a teleconference

Beyer sitting down during a hearing
Rep. Don Beyer (Image courtesy of Rep. Don Beyer’s office)

Amid a rising number of positive coronavirus tests in the D.C. area, Rep. Don Beyer announced Monday that his scheduled town hall meeting in Lorton on Tuesday evening is now a call-in event only.

Beyer made the announcement Monday afternoon to community members who had RSVP’d to attend the event. Beyer gave instructions for how to participate in the teleconference and said it would begin with remarks by Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, Director of Epidemiology for the Fairfax County Health Department.

“I deeply appreciate your interest in attending the town hall I had scheduled to take place on the evening of March 10 at Gunston Hall,” Beyer said in the message. “After constituent concerns and in light of recent developments, I will instead be holding a teleconference town hall.”

Beyer said he would also be sharing what he’s heard from the Virginia Department of Health about the local cases and what is being done at the federal level.

Beyer’s office shared these instructions for anyone interested in calling into Tuesday’s meeting:

  • At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, dial (425) 436-6363
  • Enter access code 555705#
  • After entering code, system may ask for a pin; just press the “#” sign

There are five presumptive cases of coronavirus in Virginia as of Monday night, according to the Virginia Department of Health. A Marine from Marine Corps Base Quantico, who is being cared for at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, was the first case reported in the state. Since then there has been cases reported in Fairfax City, Arlington and Spotsylvania County.

Across the river, there are five positive tests reported in Washington D.C. and five reported cases in Maryland.

Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, Fairfax County’s Director of Health, will be giving an update on coronavirus Tuesday morning at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting. Addo-Ayensu’s briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m., and can be watched here.

Little information about the Marine being treated at Fort Belvoir has been released since the Defense Department disclosed the case Saturday night. The patient had recently traveled overseas and is being treated in isolation at the hospital.

On Facebook, the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital announced Sunday evening that staff had “identified beneficiaries and staff who may have been exposed to the patient testing positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19).”

“We are currently in the process of notifying them with further instructions regarding quarantine and care measure,” the hospital said in the post. “We continue to prioritize the health and safety of our military, civilians, and family.”

Fort Belvoir announced Sunday on its Facebook page that there was little danger to the community and the post was open for business as usual on Monday.

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  1. Mike