A person who tested positive for the coronavirus spent time in a chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary, the City of Alexandria announced Tuesday night.

In a press release, the city said that worshipers and visitors to Immanuel Chapel between Feb. 26 and March 4 should monitor themselves for symptoms.

Separately, ALXnow has learned that Alexandria firefighters held an internal conference call at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday “to provide the department with information for situational awareness regarding coronavirus.” First responders received at least one call earlier in the day for a person with a fever who had been in contact with someone who had the virus.

The full press release from the city is below.

On March 10, 2020, the Alexandria Health Department was notified that a resident of Washington, D.C., who now has a confirmed case of the COVID-19 coronavirus spent time at the Immanuel Chapel of the Virginia Theological Seminary (3737 Seminary Rd.). The Alexandria Health Department’s investigation and consultation with the Virginia Department of Health have determined that all congregants and visitors to the Immanuel Chapel between February 26 and March 4 may have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider this type of exposure to be low risk, the Alexandria Health Department recommends that anyone who visited the Immanuel Chapel on those dates monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days from their last visit.

Self-monitoring includes checking body temperature twice a day and monitoring for symptoms of cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath or temperature higher than 100.4 F. Any individual who was potentially exposed at Immanuel Chapel and has any of these symptoms, or develops them within 14 days of visiting, should notify the Alexandria Health Department by phone at 703.746.4988, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. If they develop these symptoms, they should also self-isolate and limit contact with others.

Individuals who visited Immanuel Chapel during the above dates but do not have the above symptoms do not need to call. The Alexandria Health Department is identifying and contacting individuals who are at higher risk to provide further guidance.

The entire Alexandria community should stay updated and informed about COVID-19. Everyone can help prevent the spread of respiratory illness with these everyday actions:

• Wash your hands often by rubbing them together with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you can’t wash your hands, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

For more information about the Alexandria Health Department’s response to COVID-19 and additional steps you can take to protect yourself and those around you, visit alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.

Photo via Virginia Theological Seminary/Facebook

In a letter to Mayor Justin Wilson, the Virginia Theological Seminary has weighed in on the clong-running argument over the road diet happening at the school’s doorstep.

A letter from Ian Markham, Dean and President of the Virginia Theological Seminary, included support for the reduction in vehicle travel lanes and hints about future expansion plans for the school. The letter was shared in the exceptionally active Facebook group Alexandria Residents Against the Seminary Road Diet.

Markham said the Seminary is the institution most impacted by the changes, with facilities straddling the road.

“We have over 280 residents on the campus,” Markham said. “Now I cannot speak for the additional fifteen to forty people in the private houses, but for the Seminary, we are delighted with the change. With the sole exception of a thirty-minute back up between 8:10 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. (which dissipates quickly), the traffic is slower, calmer, and the whole street is quieter and much more gentle. It has worked wonderfully.”

The letter, predictably, was met with some disappointment from the Facebook group, where responses ranged from polite disagreement to members calling it an “obnoxious, self-serving load of twaddle.” Markham, on the other hand, had previously — and jokingly — called for biblical plagues to convince locals to support the road change, according to the Alexandria Gazette.

It isn’t the first time Markham has spoken up about the issue. During the City Council discussion in September, members of the Seminary showed up in religious garb and Markham said the four-lane arterial road creates problems for the school, according to the Alexandria Times.

Markham said in the letter that he would ideally want a 15 mph limit on the road near the school, but said he didn’t expect that to happen. He also noted that the school could be expanding into five acres on the south side of the Seminary with a new garden complex.

“But I need to be confident that students can move safely back and forward across Seminary Road,” Markham said. “With this change, I think I can look at that area and really develop it to benefit not just the Seminary, but the neighborhood and the city.”

The city admitted that there were significant traffic delays as the road diet was being implemented. Much of the road work has been completed, though the city is still seeking grants to add a permanent sidewalk to the north side of the road near the Seminary.

Mayor Wilson said in an email on New Year’s Day that the road diet produced a 40-100% increase in vehicle travel times along Seminary Road during some peak periods, though delays have since lessened.

City Council Member Amy Jackson riled others on the Council last month over a last-minute proposal to stop all work on the road changes until further study can be done on the traffic impacts. The proposal was shot down by the other members of the City Council, but the discussion led to a request for staff to return sometime early this year with a report on the Seminary Road traffic impact.

The Virginia Theological Seminary could not be reached for comment.