Phase 3 begins July 1; VA coronavirus cases near 59K

Published: Jun. 23, 2020 at 8:35 AM EDT|Updated: Jun. 23, 2020 at 2:25 PM EDT
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Governor Northam says Virginia will move into Phase 3 of economic reopening Wednesday, July 1. He made that announcement during his Tuesday briefing. Watch it on the governor’s Facebook page.

That’s after about three and a half weeks of being in phase 2.

In Phase Three, Northam said the Commonwealth will maintain a Safer at Home strategy with continued recommendations for social distancing and teleworking, and the requirement that individuals wear face coverings in indoor public settings. The maximum number of people allowed in social gatherings will increase from 50 to 250 people. All businesses should continue to follow physical distancing guidelines, frequently clean and sanitize high contact surfaces, and keep enhanced workplace safety measures in place, said Northam.

Restaurant and beverage establishments are required to maintain six feet of distance between tables, fitness centers may open indoor areas at 75 percent occupancy, and recreation and entertainment venues at may operate at 50 percent occupancy, or a maximum of 1,000 people. Swimming pools may also expand operations to free swim in addition to indoor and outdoor exercise, diving, and swim instruction. Overnight summer camps will remain closed in Phase Three.

Phase Three guidelines for specific sectors can be found here.

View the slides from that presentation here.

The Virginia Department of Health is reporting 58,994 cases of coronavirus in the commonwealth as of Tuesday morning. That’s up from 58,465 cases reported Monday, a 529-case increase.

2,542 of the cases are considered “probable”.

There are 1,645 recorded coronavirus-related deaths in the commonwealth, up from 1,620 reported Monday, and 5,913 people have been hospitalized. 565,835 tests have been conducted, with a 6.4% positive rate over the last week. That’s down from the 6.5% rate reported Monday.

Any new confirmed cases from health departments throughout the state the rest of the day won’t show up until at least the following day on the state list, as the official numbers are only updated once a day, with a 5 p.m. cutoff each day for new cases to be reflected on the next day’s list.

Governor Northam will hold a briefing on COVID-19 in Virginia at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Watch it live on WDBJ7 or here, or watch it on the governor’s Facebook page.

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus

Copyright 2020 WDBJ. All rights reserved.