Uncertainty Over Whether NoVA Ready To Reopen With Rest Of State
VIRGINIA — With each of the major jurisdictions in Northern Virginia reporting well over 1,000 positive cases of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, questions surround whether the region will join the rest of the state in conducting a partial reopening on Friday as part of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plan to ease restrictions on businesses and gatherings.
The top elected officials of the five largest localities in Northern Virginia sent a letter to Northam Sunday supporting his “Forward Virginia” reopening plan in general but urging him to implement it for the region only once regional threshold metrics have been met.
Although certain metrics appear likely to be met statewide by May 15, this does not appear to be the case for Northern Virginia. The 2.5 million residents of the city of Alexandria and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William represent nearly a third of the population of Virginia and half of the state's coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“We eagerly wish to rebuild our economy and help our residents recover,” wrote County Board Chairs Phyllis Randall (Loudoun County), Libby Garvey (Arlington County), Jeff McKay (Fairfax County), and Ann Wheeler (Prince William County) and Mayor Justin Wilson (Alexandria). “It is only through our regional achievement of these milestones that we will be positioned to avoid a more damaging return to business closures later in the summer.”
On Friday, Northam released Executive Order 61, which modified earlier orders relating to restrictions on businesses in the state in the face of the coronavirus crisis. The executive order authorized a limited phase one reopening as of this Friday, including:
Essential businesses remain open
Nonessential retail stores can now open to 50 percent capacity
Restaurants can permit outdoor seating only up to 50 percent capacity
Churches can open to 50 percent capacity
Barbers and beauty salons are open by appointment
Gatherings of over 10 people are still prohibited
State parks are now open
The Arlington County Board issued its own statement Friday night saying it is working with the governor’s office and other Northern Virginia jurisdictions to develop a separate, extended time frame for reopening from the rest of the state.
Clark Mercer, Northam's chief of staff, noted at the governor's news conference in Richmond Friday that the state has been in contact with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and the region's three largest counties: Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William.
"If these entities as a region would like to delay entering phase one by two weeks, for example, which would be May 29, I think the governor would be open to doing that," Mercer said. Leaders in Northern Virginia were asked to review the governor's guidelines for phase one and an update on potential regional decisions would come early this week, he said.
Northam's Forward Virginia plan requires the following metrics be met before the first phase of reopening can occur statewide:
Downward trend of positive test results over a period of 14 days.
Downward trend of hospitalizations over a period of 14 days.
Sufficient hospital beds and intensive care capacity.
Increasing and sustainable supply of personal protective equipment such as masks, respirators, gloves and gowns.
Increased testing and tracing.
According to an analysis by the region’s public health directors, all five metrics for Northern Virginia are either unmet or cannot be determined based on currently available data.
"We eagerly wish to rebuild our economy and help our residents recover," the Northern Virginia leaders said Sunday in their letter to Northam. "It is only through our regional achievement of these milestones that we will be positioned to avoid a more damaging return to business closures later in the summer."
As of Sunday, 24,081 people in Virginia tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 885 positive cases since Saturday, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The number of deaths in Virginia reached 839 as of Sunday, an increase of 12 deaths from Saturday, one of the smallest daily increases in recent weeks.
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As of Sunday, a total of 3,211 people have been hospitalized in Virginia for the coronavirus since the crisis began. The number of hospitalizations on Sunday increased by 47 compared to the number of hospitalizations reported by the Virginia Department of Health on Saturday.
The number of currently hospitalized patients with confirmed or pending coronavirus test results continues to see-saw in Virginia. On Sunday, 1,555 people with confirmed or pending test results were hospitalized in Virginia, down from 1,625 on Friday, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. There have been 3,201 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals during the crisis as of Sunday, up from 2,997 on Friday.
On Sunday, 187 COVID-19 patients were using ventilators, down from 199 patients using ventilators on Friday. Among all hospital patients, there are 600 ventilators in use of the 2,874 available ventilators in hospitals, representing 21-percent use in Virginia. On Friday, 591 ventilators were in use at hospitals across the state.
No Virginia hospitals are reporting difficulty obtaining or replenishing personal protective equipment or other medical supplies.
The Virginia Department of Health has created a new interactive map where residents can enter their zip code to find the nearest testing site.
Here are the latest updates for localities in our Northern Virginia coverage area, as of Sunday.
Alexandria: 1,193 cases, 139 hospitalizations, 30 deaths
Arlington County: 1,368 cases, 260 hospitalizations, 61 deaths
Fairfax County: 5,892 cases, 923 hospitalizations, 239 deaths
Fairfax City: 39 cases, six hospitalizations, three deaths
Falls Church: 37 cases, nine hospitalizations, four deaths
Loudoun County: 1,159 cases, 115 hospitalizations, 30 deaths
Manassas: 381 cases, 40 hospitalizations, two deaths
Manassas Park: 120 cases, 13 hospitalizations, two deaths
Prince William County: 2,740 cases, 265 hospitalizations, 48 deaths
Fredericksburg: 61 cases, 13 hospitalizations, no deaths
Spotsylvania County: 248 cases, 28 hospitalizations, four deaths
Stafford County: 374 cases, 57 hospitalizations, two deaths
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This article originally appeared on the Fairfax City Patch
