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Casa Chirilagua gave out 1,000 meals to families in Arlandria on Thursday afternoon, and still needs food, cash and face mask donations for Alexandria’s vulnerable Hispanic population.

Taco Bamba in D.C. and Alexandria Restaurant Partners provided the meals, which were distributed by a cadre of community volunteers over the course of a half hour. The meals were made of chicken, vegetables and rice. The food distribution was organized by World Central Kitchen, which has given out millions of meals across the country during the pandemic. Alexandria Police officers maintained order, and Hunger Free Alexandria and Volunteer Alexandria gave out all the food.


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There are now 1,110 probable and positive cases of COVID-19 in Alexandria, an increase of 50 cases since yesterday. No new deaths have been reported since yesterday, and fatalities from the virus remain at 29.

Most fatalities related to the virus have been people over the age of 50, although the highest numbers of those infected are in their 30s and 40s. There has been one death of a person in their 20s. The three most recent deaths were three women in their 80s (two white women, one black/African American woman).


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Family Says Lack of Information Contributed to Nurse’s Death — “Some family members who have loved ones at Silverado are also upset, complaining they are being kept in the dark. A woman whose mother is at the facility asked that News4 conceal her identity. She says families need more information about the outbreak such as how many staff and residents have tested positive and how many have died.” [NBC4]

Beyer Blames President for U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak— “Tens of thousands of Americans – over 73,000 – have now died from a pandemic that has hit our country so much harder because this President ignored warnings from health officials over and over again. This is so dangerous.” [Twitter]


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Alexandria photographer Billy Sabatini had no idea how popular his Front Steps Project would be, and over the last several weeks he’s ended up taking photos of more than 150 families and sequestered individuals in front of their homes.

“I thought it’d be kind of a fun, small thing and maybe get a handful of people to participate,” Sabatini told ALXnow. “I started taking photos of friends and neighbors, and after about a week-and-a-half word of mouth spread and it just took off. I’ve now got 100+ families on my list and my plan is to take pictures of them all.”


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Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday delivered personal protective equipment to the Woodbine Rehabilitative and Health Center in Alexandria — the first installment of PPE that Pence says will be delivered to 15,400 nursing homes around the country.

Pence and his staff, in addition to Woodbine administrators, were not wearing protective face coverings for the visit and spoke within six feet of administrators. Pence did not step foot inside the facility, which has reported a number of symptomatic COVID-19 patients.


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Three more people have died of COVID-19 in Alexandria and the city has breached the 1,000 case mark.

There are now 29 coronavirus-related deaths in Alexandria and 1,060 cases since May 5, according to the Virginia Department of Health. An update on health data was not available yesterday, as VDH reported a glitch on its website and the daily figures were not updated.


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Fairlington UMC Warns Against Phishing Scam — “Remember the phrase ‘fishers of men?’ We have PHISHERS again. They are sending emails and TEXTS from ‘Janine Howard’ asking you to go out and buy ebay cards for them. Don’t do it. If you’d like to make charitable donations, call or go to our website.” [Facebook]

Burke & Herbert Bank Issues More Than 1,100 PPP Loans — “Today Burke & Herbert Bank, which has been serving the northern Virginia business community for more than 167 years, announced that nearly 1,100 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling approximately $136 million in aid for local businesses have been approved for the Bank’s customers.  As a result, an estimated 10,000 individuals in the local community will remain employed or return to the businesses’ payroll.” [Zebra]


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In a video posted yesterday, Alexandria Superintendent Gregory Hutchings described the school’s approach to educating students at home and how those plans have evolved and will evolve throughout the pandemic.

“Our continuity of learning plan is how we teach and learn from home,” Hutchings said. “It ensures all our students are learning while we’re at home. The plan was initially meant to take us through spring break, but as you know… [Gov. Northam] decided all schools will remain closed through the academic year.”


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It’s been an incredible challenge, but Chadwicks owner Trae Lamond is hopeful everything will get back to normal with his business… eventually.

The 39-year-old Lamond was forced to lay off a majority of his 50 full and part-time staffers, and since March the favorite bar and restaurant for many Old Town residents has been working with a skeleton crew of about 17 employees.


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