June 2, 2020
RICHMOND, Va. – For most of Virginia, the state will be moving into Phase Two of reopening on Friday, June 5.
Northam says he feels confident in allowing Virginia to move into Phase Two after the percent of positive tests continue to trend downward. For the entire state of Virginia, excluding Northern Virginia, the rate of positivity is trending downward towards 10 percent while the number of tests has increased.
All of Virginia will start Phase Two Friday except for Richmond and Northern Virginia since they only moved into Phase One on May 29 and more time is needed to monitor cases. Accomack County will also move into Phase Two with the rest of the state because health officials believe they have a handle on the COVID-19 outbreak at a poultry plant thanks to rigorous testing.
Phase Two will allow gatherings up to 50 people, restaurants can have indoor seating at 50 percent capacity, gyms can have indoor classes and workouts at 30 percent capacity and pools can open with restrictions.
Museums, zoos, botanical gardens and outdoor venues will be able to open with some restrictions. It also means that recreational sports are allowed with social distancing and not shared equipment. Swimming pools can also open for exercise and lessons.
Northam still stressed that Virginians will be safer at home and that remote work should still be done when possible.
More details on Phase Two outlines will be discussed on Thursday during Northam’s briefing.