What Virginians Can Expect in the Commonwealth: Phased COVID-19 Guidelines

As hospitalizations continue to decline and vaccinations on the rise in Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam has decided to change the pathway Virginia has been following to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, and start looking forward to the future. These steps and motions would ease the public health restrictions that have been placed since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. 

The orders, which are being directly aimed at outdoor sports and entertainment, are planned to go into effect early March. These orders will increase social gatherings from 10 to 25 and outdoor youth sporting events to 250. Both of these directives come from Virginia’s Third Amended Executive Order Seventy-Two. 

With the continuation of vaccines and low positivity rate across the commonwealth, Governor Northam plans to take more action at the beginning of April and May; therefore, making these adjustments and restrictions lighter and lighter each month. Originally, these health restrictions came from the “Forward Virginia” plan that started back in May of 2020. This plan dictated how heavy restrictions would affect Virginians in their homes and businesses. The previous terms “Phase One” and “Phase Two” have now broken down into sectors, which have a heavier effect on the dangerous practices that could start a breakout or superspreader. 

As we get closer to the brighter days and hot summer nights, it is important to remember the reason we all fought so hard to slow-the-curve and stayed home when it was unnecessary to go out. We are now starting to reap the benefits of going through something traumatic.  However, these same precautions could save someone’s life, as corona hasn’t disappeared, it has just been minimized.