On Thursday, December 10th, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam outlined the details of his latest executive order during a COVID-19 press briefing where he announced new, targeted measures to slow the spread of the deadly virus as new cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across all regions of the Commonwealth.

While Virginia’s new per capita case levels remain lower than 43 other states, all of the Commonwealth’s five health regions are experiencing increases in COVID-19 cases, positive tests, and hospitalizations. Virginia is currently averaging over 3,700 new COVID-19 cases per day, a drastic increase from its statewide peak of approximately 1,200 in May.

Northam stated, “New daily case numbers are higher than they have been at any previous point in the pandemic, and while the trends in Virginia are better than most of the country, we are taking action now to slow the spread of this virus before our hospitals get overwhelmed.”

Taking effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, December 14th, Executive Order Seventy-Two outlines the following directives: 

• Modified Stay at Home Order: All individuals in Virginia must remain at their place of residence between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Exceptions include obtaining food and goods, traveling to and from work, and seeking medical attention. The order is set to stay in place until at least January 31, unless rescinded or amended.
  
• Universal mask requirement: All Virginians aged five and over are required to wear face coverings in indoor settings shared with others and when outdoors within six feet of another person. This order expands the current statewide mask mandate, which has been in place since May 29 and requires all individuals aged five and over to wear face coverings in indoor and outdoor public settings outside of their own household. These changes are consistent with new CDC guidelines, released December 4, which recommend universal wearing of face coverings.
  
• Reduction in social gatherings: All social gatherings must be limited to 10 individuals, down from the current cap of 25 people. Social gatherings include, but are not limited to, parties, celebrations, or other social events, regardless of whether they occur indoors or outdoors. This does not apply to religious services, employment settings, or educational settings. Restaurants and retail stores are already governed by strict social distancing requirements and are not included in this limit.
  
• Continued limits on dining establishments: Virginia restaurants are currently governed by strict social distancing and sanitization requirements, which remain in place. The on-site sale, consumption, and possession of alcohol remains prohibited after 10:00 p.m. in any restaurant, dining establishment, food court, brewery, microbrewery, distillery, winery, or tasting room. All restaurants, dining establishments, food courts, breweries, microbreweries, distilleries, wineries, and tasting rooms must close by midnight.
  
• Teleworking: Employees that can telework are strongly encouraged to do so.

In response to the Executive Order Seventy-Two, Northam remarked, “These are common-sense things we can all do to take care of each other and stay safe. This is not about getting people in trouble, this is about everyone doing their part and reducing opportunities for people to get sick.”

Virginia’s statewide test positivity rate currently stands at 11 percent, an increase from 7 percent approximately one month ago, and over 2,000 Virginians are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 statewide, an increase of over 80 percent within the last four weeks. At the time of the briefing, The Virginia Department of Health reported 271,043 total cases of COVID-19 across Virginia and a current statewide death-toll of 4,335 individuals.

Regarding the ongoing wave of testing provided to Virginia residents, Virginia Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver took to the podium, telling members of the press, ”[Virginia] is averaging about 20,000 tests per day, and we have plenty of testing supplies. We know now that the National Guard will be with us through March of next year.“

Following Commissioner Oliver’s remarks, it is clear that significant gains have been made regarding the Commonwealth’s effort to provide adequate access to testing for the majority of its residents. However, the looming question on every Virginian’s mind was when access to a vaccine would be as readily available to the public as testing is currently.

Stepping back to the podium, Northam highlighted the efforts of the two major pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna, who are working around the clock to begin rolling out their COVID-19 vaccinations, which are reported to provide an effectiveness rating of 95 percent during recent clinical trials, stating, “Today, the Food and Drug Administration is meeting to take action on the Pfizer vaccination here in the United States. If approved, we can expect vaccinations to begin in Virginia within 24 to 48 hours, just as soon as this weekend, possibly.”

“It will be the light of a very long and dark tunnel. My family and I fully intend to get vaccinated and I hope every Virginian will do the same. Our Department of Health is experienced in vaccination and they have a plan in place on how to do this.”, said Northam.

The Virginia Department of Health announced that 480,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines are set to arrive by the end of the month, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, healthcare employees, and individuals who work and live inside long-term care facilities will be among the first to be vaccinated.

Click here to learn more about the Virginia Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination plans.

Click here for information about COVID-19 in Virginia.