Richmond, Accomack Join NoVA In Delayed Coronavirus Reopening

VIRGINIA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam approved requests Thursday from the City of Richmond and Accomack County to delay their implementation of phase one of the governor's plan to ease restrictions related to the coronavirus. Instead of starting implementation on Friday, Richmond and Accomack County, together with Northern Virginia, will enter phase one of the state's Forward Virginia plan no earlier than Friday, May 29.

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday evening to request a two-week delay in entering phase one, and Northam received their formal request Thursday morning. On Thursday, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney formally requested a delay in implementing phase one for at least two weeks.

“As I have said previously, Virginia’s Phase One guidelines represent a floor, not a ceiling,” Northam said Thursday in a news release. “I have encouraged local leaders to request exemptions when appropriate, and I am pleased to grant the delays for both Accomack County and the City of Richmond.”

Northam confirmed Wednesday the first reopening phase will start for much of the state on Friday. Richmond, Accomack County and Northern Virginia will remain in what he calls "phase zero" with a two-week delay before some coronavirus-related restrictions will be eased.

"Phase one represents a small step forward, but we will remain vigilant," said Northam at a Wednesday news conference. "We will continue to monitor health data closely. I again want to remind all Virginians this virus has not gone away, and everyone needs to act accordingly."

In his request to Northam, Stoney said Richmond’s percentage of positive tests has increased over the past two weeks, rather than decreased. "Combined with the total case count growth in the city of Richmond, this data suggests that the prudent course of action would be to delay the implementation of Phase One reopening," Stoney wrote in his letter.

"I would like to formally request that the City of Richmond be granted this exemption from Phase One for at least two weeks, consistent with the request from Northern Virginia and Accomack, and that we work collaboratively to monitor the situation over these next two weeks to ensure we can keep our residents and businesses informed on the status of total cases and percent positivity in the City Richmond," the mayor said.

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Richmond has reported 611 positive cases of the coronavirus and 18 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The positive coronavirus case rate in Richmond is 267 per 100,000 population, far lower than most jurisdictions in Northern Virginia and Accomack County.

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors explained in its request that it is concerned about the high number positive cases of the coronavirus and the "size of outbreaks that have occurred within its borders."

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 Wednesday night not to move forward with Northam’s phase one recovery plan. Northampton County, located to the south of Accomack County on the Eastern Shore, voted Tuesday to proceed with Northam's phase one reopening plan. Northam grew up in Northampton County.

The positive coronavirus case rate in Accomack County is extremely high, at 1,830 per 100,000 population, while Northampton County's rate is at 1,568 per 100,000 population.

By comparison, Arlington County stands at 631 per 100,000 and Fairfax County at 604 per 100,000. As of Thursday, Manassas reported 1,237 positive cases of the coronavirus per 100,000 population, the highest in Northern Virginia.

In Accomack County, 593 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and eight people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Six people have died from COVID-19 in Northampton County.

The Eastern Shore Health District has reported nine outbreaks of the coronavirus. Hundreds of positive cases of the coronavirus have been linked to poultry processing facilities run by Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms in Accomack County.

"Despite having a population that is only 0.39 percent of the state population, our number of positive cases represents 2.14 percent of the statewide totals," the Accomack County board wrote in its letter. "In fact, they currently align better with localities in Northern Virginia, an area you have allowed to remain in Phase Zero until May 29, 2020. We also wish to help our businesses recover and prosper, but not at the expense of public health."

A two-week delay on implementation of Northam's phase one in Accomack County will allow sufficient time for data to be accumulated for this area and analyzed to determine if it is ready to begin reopening, the board said.

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