Northam Addresses Hospital, Business Reopenings From Coronavirus

VIRGINIA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam informed residents Monday that doctor's offices and hospitals are safe again to visit, especially for people who need lab work or other tests done in preparation for elective or outpatient procedures. At a news briefing, Northam expressed optimism that his administration will lift restrictions Friday that had been placed on elective surgeries at hospitals across the state due to fears that a surge in new coronavirus patients would overwhelm hospitals.

Monday's news briefing came after he outlined a blueprint on a timeline for reopening Virginia on Friday. Northam said he'd like to move into the first reopening phase no sooner than May 8, but an exact reopening date has not yet been confirmed.

In late March, Northam signed an executive order directing all hospitals across Virginia to postpone elective surgeries in order to preserve critical equipment like ventilators and personal protective gear. Last Thursday, Northam extended the ban on elective surgeries through the end of April. Unless Northam orders another extension, elective surgeries would be allowed to start Friday.

"I just wanted to let you know today that hospitals, that doctor's offices are safe and it's OK for all of you that need health care to get back into that system," Northam said Monday. "So, as we look at hopefully reopening our hospitals on Friday to elective, to outpatient surgeries, I encourage all of you to get in touch with your providers because there might be some labs you will need. There may be an X-ray you need, imaging studies ... in hopes of starting to do elective surgeries on Friday."

For certain elective surgeries, like hip or knee replacements, a lot of preparation goes into doing a procedure on someone safely. "This is not something that you just flip a switch," he said.

More than a month ago, elective and non-time sensitive surgeries and procedures at hospitals were suspended to give medical workers the resources they needed to focus on coronavirus patients and others who needed the care the most. But officials now believe hospitals have the capacity to return to conducting non-emergency procedures.

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The extended ban on elective surgeries did not apply to those in which a delay would harm a patient, as well as outpatient visits in hospital-based clinics, family planning services, or emergency needs. Hospitals continue to treat emergencies and perform essential surgeries.

On Monday, Northam said the coronavirus business task force he created was scheduled to have its second meeting after the press briefing. The task force, which held its first meeting last week, is composed of more than two dozen business leaders who are advising Northam on how to ease restrictions on individuals and businesses that were put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, the illness associated with the coronavirus.

The task force will help the Northam administration determine which businesses can reopen first and whether the reopening of businesses can be done regionally rather than on a statewide basis.

"The input that we have been receiving from these businesses to talk about how we can make sure that our consumers feel safe — how we open up in a responsible manner — have just been invaluable," Northam said.

From a regional perspective, Northam mentioned the city of Bristol, which has a sister city by the same name across the border in Tennessee. "On one side of the line is Tennessee and on our side is Virginia," Northam said. "To try to be consistent, is it really fair for Tennessee's businesses to be open and Virginia's not to be?"

"Is being able to open certain regions of Virginia possible" is a question that will be addressed at the meeting, the governor said.

The Virginia Department of Health reported 565 new cases of the coronavirus and 10 new deaths on Monday. Virginia's latest totals are 13,535 cases, 458 deaths and 2,066 hospitalizations.
Monday saw lower increases of cases and deaths than the past two days. From Saturday to Sunday, 704 new cases and 12 new deaths were reported. There were 772 new cases and 38 new deaths reported from Friday to Saturday.

Monday's total accounts for 13,036 laboratory-confirmed cases and 499 probable cases among patients with symptoms and a known exposure to COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

At Monday's news briefing, Northam also addressed rising concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in poultry processing plants along the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Similar facilities nationwide have seen outbreaks. He said facilities along the Eastern Shore have recorded a rising number of coronavirus cases in recent days, as have facilities in Delaware and Maryland.

Northam said he and the governors of Maryland and Delaware wrote a joint letter to the White House with their concerns about poultry workers. In response, the governor said the Centers for Disease Control is deploying teams to each state to work with local health departments to assess the overall situation at poultry and other meat processing facilities.

Northam said he and his staff spoke with corporate leaders of meat processing facilities across Virginia this past weekend to ensure they are taking the necessary steps to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

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