The easing of COVID-19-related restrictions on the public should pave the way for more outdoor recreation, including the re-opening of Radford’s playgrounds.
Heather Bell
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has presented a detailed framework for the “Forward Virginia” plan to ease public health restrictions concerning COVID-19.
Saturday, Northam signed Executive Order Sixty-One easing restrictions beginning this Friday, May 15. Radford Mayor David Horton has commented on the easing of restrictions in Radford, taking to Facebook to address the community.
“We are taking baby steps to begin to return to some degree of normal,” Horton stated in a recent post. “This will be too fast for some and too slow for others.”
“While we are all nervous about what this next phase looks like, we do know that the hard work that everyone has done to isolate and to respect the restrictions has probably saved hundreds if not thousands of people,” he continued. “These are people we all know and love.”
“I am proud of the millions of Virginians who have stayed home and helped to flatten the curve, but our work is not done,” the governor said. “These guidelines represent one step forward in a gradual process, establishing the necessary modifications to business operations to minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure for employees and customers. When we move into this first phase, it will be important for Virginians to act cautiously—especially our most vulnerable populations, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions.”
Under Phase One, the Commonwealth will move to a Safer at Home strategy, which continues the ban on social gatherings of more than 10 people and maintains recommendations for social distancing, teleworking, and wearing face coverings. All businesses should make modifications to maintain six feet of physical distancing, increase cleaning and sanitization of high contact surfaces, and provide enhanced workplace safety measures.
Retail establishments will be allowed to operate at 50 percent occupancy, restaurant and beverage establishments may offer outdoor dining at 50 percent occupancy, personal grooming services may begin operating with one patron per service provider, and fitness centers may offer outdoor exercise services. Campgrounds may also begin taking reservations for short-term stays.
Places of worship have had a 10-person limit and have been allowed to hold drive-in services allowed. In Phase One, drive-in services may continue, and services may be held inside at 50 percent capacity.
Many of the restrictions put in place by Executive Order Fifty-Three will remain in place in Phase One. Entertainment and public amusement venues will remain closed, and beaches will continue to be open only for exercise and fishing. Childcare centers remain open for children of working families. Overnight summer camps will remain closed in Phase One.
“Now, we must set the path forward,” Northam stated in EO 61. “While Virginia’s efforts and sacrifices seem to have slowed the spread of the virus, we know it is still present. It is critical that as we begin to ease some of the restrictions in the next phase of our response, we remain vigilant, cautious, and measured. We cannot race back to the lives we led before the pandemic. The path forward will not be business as usual. We must remember to continue to practice physical distancing, to continue teleworking, whenever possible, to wash our hands frequently, to not touch our faces, and to wear face covering whenever possible. These measures, as well as the ones outlined below, are meant to make necessary ventures outside of your home safer, but everyone, especially those who may be more vulnerable to the virus, must understand we are all safer at home.”
Horton also weighed in.
“Essentially we [will] be back about where we were in the third week or so of March. People will still be encouraged to work and stay at home as much as possible,” said Horton. “If the data still looks okay and we don’t have a huge spike in cases, we would go to Phase 2 which would last around a month as well. This would ease restrictions a little more and expand crowds to about 50.”
“If that goes well enough to keep the new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths under control, then Phase 3 would happen which would remove most all the restrictions and limits on businesses,” Horton continued. “There is much more information to come on this and as we get guidelines, we will pass those along to our Radford businesses. Know this, there is no perfect solution here. There will be additional cases as we reopen things. Those who are vulnerable will be at risk and need to take additional precautions and may have to stay in some form of isolation for a longer period.
Nothing about the disease itself has changed. We have kept things mild because of the measures. Those measures are loosening which helps solve some problems, but could also create more. Radford and the NRV are not more impervious to this disease, we have just been fortunate that it has not struck us as hard yet. Until we have a treatment and vaccine, things will be a challenge.”