At his press conference today Governor Northam announced that his ‘stay at home’ order will remain in place until June 10th. He is extending the closure of non-essential businesses by two weeks, until at least May 8th, under Executive Order 53.
It looks like Northam wants Virginia to be the last in the nation to open for business.
From whsv.com
That means, effectively, that until May 8, gatherings of more than 10 people are banned and all businesses that had to initially close due to the order have to remain closed until May 8 at the earliest.
The Stay at Home order, which was issued through Executive Order 55, remains in effect until June 10, as it was originally set.
The governor said he and his team will continue to monitor health data over the coming weeks to determine what happens next, after the May 8 expiration date.
This means all restaurants, entertainment areas, barbershops and salons will remain closed until at least May 8th. It also means people cannot congregate in churches because groups must be kept to less than 10 and continue to maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing.
All elective surgeries will continue to be banned, to leave beds open for COVID-19 patients. The problem is there are so many empty beds in our hospitals that doctors and nurses are being laid off. Virginia has never approached ‘capacity’ for hospital beds needed for coronavirus patients.
The President is expected to announce at his press conference today a plan for reopening the country. I doubt he will support any state being closed until June 10th as Governor Northam has ordered.
