Governor Eases Extra Restrictions In Virginia's Hampton Roads

Emily Leayman
Updated ·5 min read

VIRGINIA — Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday he is lifting the additional restrictions placed on the Hampton Roads region in eastern Virginia. The entire state remains in the governor's phase three reopening plan.

The additional restrictions took effect on July 31 in certain localities due to a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. These included a 50-person gathering limit, reduction in indoor dining to 50 percent capacity, and a requirement that restaurants close at midnight and stop alcohol sales after 10 p.m. The impacted localities were the cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Williamsburg, Newport News, Poquoson, James City County and York County. In addition to the restrictions, the governor had announced increased enforcement of coronavirus restrictions by state licensing agencies with a focus on Hampton Roads.

Since case and hospitalization increases in July, there have been improvements in the health metrics. New cases in the eastern region are down after reaching a peak 7-day average of 483.3 on July 25. The latest average for the region was 162.9. The region's 7-day average of positive tests also climbed in July, reaching a peak of 12.1 percent on July 18. As of Sept. 6, the average was 6.7 percent, nearly 10 percent below the statewide average.

In addition, hospitalizations have begun to trend downward after reaching a regional peak of 575 on Aug. 7. On Sept. 10, the region's hospitalizations totaled 334. Overall, the governor said the percent positive rate for PCR tests in the eastern region has been decreasing for 12 days, new cases have been decreasing for 46 days, and hospitalizations have been decreasing for about three weeks.

"Hampton Roads residents, businesses, and health officials have worked together to reduce the spread of COVID-19," said Northam in announcing the easement of restrictions. "New cases have dropped by more than half, hospitalizations have declined, and percent positivity has fallen below the statewide average. But we cannot let our guard down—we all must continue practicing social distancing, wearing facial coverings, and following all public health guidelines."

Statewide Coronavirus Update

An additional 1,236 coronavirus cases were reported across Virginia on Thursday after three straight days of new cases below 1,000. The 7-day average of cases is 980, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Cumulative totals are up to 130,525 cases, 10,085 hospitalizations and 2,708 deaths.

The central region led the state with 320 new cases, the second highest daily case count for the region. Elsewhere in the state, the southwest region reported 250 new cases, the northern region reported 255 new cases, the eastern region reported 232 new cases and the northwest region reported 179 new cases.

There have been 1,710,556 tests completed so far in Virginia, up 16,353 from Wednesday. The 7-day average of positive PCR tests is 7.6 percent as of Sept. 6, the same rate as the previous day. The northern region's 6.4 percent average continues to be stable, and the central region's 7.6 percent average matches the statewide average. In the eastern region, the average has made improvements since increasing during July. The latest percentage, 6.7 percent, sits below the statewide average. The two regions with higher averages are the northwest region (8.4 percent) and southwest region (10.4 percent).

There are 1,096 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized across Virginia. That includes 134 on ventilators and 255 in the intensive care units, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. The regional breakdown is 334 in the eastern region, 287 in the central region, 226 in the northern region, 157 in the southwest region, and 92 in the northwest region.

Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 20 percent in Virginia. ICU occupancy is at 78 percent, compared to the 2019 average of 67 percent. There are two hospitals reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours.

The Virginia Department of Health joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in encouraging residents 6 months and older to get the annual influenza (flu) vaccination with the possibility of flu season overlapping with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Flu season typically peaks in December and January, but the CDC recommends getting a flu shot before October ends since it takes about two weeks for the flu vaccination to provide protection.

Here are the latest COVID-19 case updates for our coverage area between Wednesday and Thursday:

  • Alexandria: 3,558 cases, 303 hospitalizations, 62 deaths; increase of 12 cases and one hospitalization

  • Arlington County: 3,687 cases, 481 hospitalizations, 144 deaths; increase of 12 cases, one hospitalization and one death

  • Fairfax County: 19,282 cases, 2,099 hospitalizations, 566 deaths; increase of 105 cases, three hospitalizations and three deaths

  • Fairfax City: 126 cases, 13 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes

  • Falls Church: 66 cases, 11 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes

  • Loudoun County: 6,237 cases, 402 hospitalizations, 118 deaths; increase of 36 cases and three hospitalizations

  • Manassas: 1,844 cases, 127 hospitalizations, 24 deaths; increase of two cases, one hospitalization removed

  • Manassas Park: 593 cases, 54 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of six cases, one hospitalization and one death

  • Prince William County: 11,432 cases, 880 hospitalizations, 191 deaths; increase of 68 cases, four hospitalizations and three deaths

  • Fredericksburg: 509 cases, 49 hospitalizations, four deaths; increase of one hospitalization; two cases removed

  • Spotsylvania County: 1,952 cases, 127 hospitalizations, 39 deaths; increase of 26 cases

  • Stafford County: 1,813 cases, 145 hospitalizations, 13 deaths; increase of 14 cases

This article originally appeared on the Kingstowne-Rose Hill Patch