Governor Ralph Northam announced in a press conference at 2 p.m. on Monday that he is issuing “stay-at-home” order for residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia until June 10, 2020.

Increasing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus, Northam has released a statement ordering Virginia residents to stay at home. People will still be able to leave their homes for necessary reasons like shopping for groceries, seeking medical attention, and banking.

This order will close all colleges and universities, campgrounds, and beeches unless they are being used for exercise or fishing. Parks in the commonwealth will remain open, and people will be allowed to engage in outdoor activities and exercises, granted they follow social distancing guidelines. 

“What we are seeing now is the result of how people interacted two or three weeks ago,” Northam said. “What we see a few weeks from now will be determined by how people behave today and in the following days. We need everyone to be patient with social distancing. It will take time to show results. That’s why it is so critical that we all do our part and stay at home.”

This order follows Northam’s previous orders that closed and restricted nonessential businesses, shut down K-12 schools, and banned gatherings of more than 10 people. 

Northam’s announcement comes after similar orders from neighboring states Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued similar orders, directing residents to leave their homes only for essential reasons.