VA Governor Outlines Reopening Criteria, Earliest Possible Date

VIRGINIA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam outlined his plan Friday for easing business restrictions related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. 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.

The governor said in a news conference Friday his plan follows the phased approach recommended by the Trump administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first phase of reopening would require the percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations to trend down for 14 days, increased testing and contact tracing, sufficient hospital beds and intensive care capacity and sustained supply of personal protective equipment.

Under the first phase of reopening, businesses would reopen with safety restrictions, telework would be encouraged, individuals would continue practicing social distancing and face coverings would be recommended in public.

Northam said daily case numbers continue to rise, but the growth rate is slowing. In addition, hospitalization rates remain generally flat. As of Friday, he said about 1,600 COVID-19 patients have been successfully treated and discharged from hospitals.

"Together we have slowed the spread of this virus. Our hospitals have not been overwhelmed, and according to at least one model, we may have seen our case count peak today," said Northam.

Ramping up testing ability will play a key role in the reopening. Northam is aiming for a 10,000 per day testing capacity to reopen the economy. Dr. Karen Remley, a former state health commissioner who is helping lead Virginia's testing task force, said there have been 4,000 daily tests performed in the last two days.

Contact tracing will not apply to everyone in Virginia, Northam said.

Dr. Daniel Carey, Virginia’s secretary of Health and Human Resources, said he will meet Friday afternoon with officials from Apple, which has joined forces with Google to build an opt-in contact-tracing tool using Bluetooth technology that could help public health officials track the spread of the coronavirus. The contact-tracing tool Apple and Google want to create would have a smartphone log when you’ve come into close contact with other people. If one of those people later reports coronavirus symptoms to a public health authority, the phone would receive an alert about the diagnosis.

Part of the reopening will include allowing elective surgeries on May 1. On Thursday, Northam extended the ban on elective surgeries through the end of April. The elective surgery doesn't apply to emergency situations, procedures in which a delay would harm a patient, and outpatient visits in hospital-based clinics, family planning services, or emergency needs.

Northam has created a business task force that will provide guidance on safely lifting restrictions on businesses and residents. Participants from Northern Virginia include Jon Norton of Great American Restaurants, Brian Moore of Amazon, Warren Thompson of Thompson Hospitality and F. Dee Suarez-Diaz of ReNuew Wellness Spa in Manassas.

"They understand that our public health and business interests are aligned—we must take measures that both ensure the safety and confidence of consumers and prevent the spread of disease," said Northam. "Their input will continue to be critical as we plan a safe, consistent, successful path forward."

The governor's order closing certain non-essential businesses and limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery only was recently extended through May 8. The separate stay-at-home order for Virginia residents is in effect through June 10.

Northam said he was "disappointed" in the Virginia Senate for not passing his proposal to move May local elections to November. As a result, he used statutory authority to move the May 5 elections two weeks to May 19.

"Virginians should not have to choose between their ballot and health," said Northam. "The last thing that we want in Virginia is a situation like what we saw when Wisconsin held an election a few weeks ago."

Northam encouraged voters to cast an absentee ballot by mail. For in-person voting, volunteers from the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps will be assisting poll workers to put safety measures in place. The plan will include adequate personal protective equipment for poll workers, Northam said.

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On Thursday, Northam also extended closures of Virginia DMV centers to the public through May 10. The continuing DMV center closures mean driver's licenses and identification cards expiring between March 15 and May 1 will have an additional 90 days beyond the expiration date for renewal, and those with an expiration date from May 2 to June 10 will expire on July 31, 2020. Vehicle registrations expiring in March and April are extended for 90 days, and those expiring in May are extended for 60 days. More guidance for obtaining and renewing items is provided on the Virginia DMV website.

From Thursday to Friday, Virginia's number of positive new coronavirus cases increased by 596 to 11,594. This includes 11,169 laboratory-confirmed cases and 425 probable cases among patients with symptoms and a known exposure to COVID-19. The number of deaths increased by 38 to 410 statewide.

The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association reported Friday, 1,399 people with confirmed or pending COVID-19 test results are hospitalized. Of the hospitalized people with pending or confirmed results, 220 are on a ventilator and 379 are in the intensive care unit (ICU). There are 646 ventilators in use of the available 2,903 ventilators at Virginia hospitals. That represents 22 percent use of ventilators available in Virginia.

Patch editors Mark Hand and Deb Belt contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO:

• VA Coronavirus Deaths Pass 400; 9 New Deaths In Fairfax County
• Unemployment Claims In Virginia Near 500K; DC Unemployment Grows
• Coronavirus: Virginia DMV Closures, Elective Surgery Ban Extended