Governor Northam's COVID-19 Briefing – 6/2/2020
TOPLINE UPDATES
- Governor Northam addressed the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests all across Virginia, promising to "keep listening" to people of color.
- Virginia will enter Phase 2 on Friday, June 5.
- The City of Richmond and the Northern Virginia region will remain in Phase One to allow more time for data trends to be monitored.
FORWARD VIRGINIA PLAN: Phase Two – Begins Friday, June 5th
- We have been in Phase One for close to three weeks, and data trends have not shown any new spikes or surges in cases.
- Percent positivity continues to trend downward, and is around 10% for the majority of the state.
- This excludes the Northern Virginia region, which is why the area will remain in Phase One for longer.
- Phase 2 will further ease restrictions, allowing for more businesses and recreational areas to re-open.
- Restaurants can now have both indoor and outdoor seating at 50% capacity.
- Gyms can re-open with 30% capacity.
- This applies to fitness classes as well.
- Outdoor entertainment facilities can open with social distancing measures.
- Recreational sports will be permitted with social distancing measures and no shared equipment.
- Pools can open for exercise and swim instruction.
- People can gather in groups of up to 50.
- More details will be provided on virginia.gov, and in Thursday's press conference.
HOSPITALS, PPE AND TESTING
- Hospitals continue to report no difficulty in acquiring adequate PPE.
- The number of occupied beds remains well below capacity across the state.
- Testing capacity continues to increase, while percent positivity decreases.
COVID-19 CASES, STATISTICS AND MODELING
- Total cases: 46,293
- Total deaths: 1,407
OTHER TOPICS
- The Department of Social Services will send guidance to childcare providers to help them prepare for greater demand as Virginia enters Phase 2.
- This guidance will focus on health and safety for both childcare providers and children.