Hair salons started letting in customers, masked and in fewer numbers, through their doors. Restaurants welcomed patrons, although they have to sit and eat outdoors. Malls opened their doors, handing out masks and sanitizing wipes as shoppers walked inside.
Across Virginia, some localities slowly started reopening Friday as part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s plan to return to business. Phase one, scheduled to tentatively last for two weeks, allows for a number of businesses to open with certain caveats in place to ensure safety. Restaurants, for example, can open their outdoor seating at 50 percent capacity.
Style by Design, a hair salon with shops in Williamsburg and York County, opened to masked customers with appointments, limiting clients to one per stylist at a time.
“Everybody is very happy to be opening back,” said Melissa Davenport, one of the four salon owners.
“The masks are hard to wear, but we understand that it’s protecting us both. The clients have been more than supportive. A couple of my clients today came in tears, they were so happy to see me.”
Style By Design, a salon in Williamsburg and York County, posted a sign on its doors warning customers about new safety guidelines.
At his daily briefing on Friday, Northam reminded Virginians that although some restrictions were being eased, it did not mean that anyone should view things as a return to complete normalcy.
“I want to again remind Virginians that erasing restrictions doesn’t mean we can behave like we used to,” Northam said. “This virus is still very much with us, and no one should let their guard down.”
There have been 28,672 total cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, with 859 new cases reported Friday morning, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Overall, 977 Virginians have died from the novel coronavirus, with 22 new deaths reported overnight.
What’s Open and What’s Not
After two months of near shut-down, some businesses on Friday were allowed to start returning a bit to normal, although with a lot more rules, restrictions and cleaning checklists.
Those with eased restrictions include:
- Nonessential retail stores that had previously been limited to 10 customers can open at 50 percent capacity.
- Restaurants, bars, breweries and other places that serve food can open outdoor seating at 50 percent capacity, with parties seated at least 6 feet apart and limited to 10 people or less. Menus must be disposable for each customer, and employees working with customers must wear face coverings. These places could continue providing takeout and delivery.
- Farmers markets can open in outdoor spaces.
- Gyms and exercise facilities can hold classes outside, with equipment separated by 10 feet and with limited participants. Outdoor pools can open for lap swimming only, one person per lane.
- Indoor shooting ranges can reopen at 50 percent capacity, with every other lane used and at least 6 feet of distance between people.
- Places of worship can hold services inside at 50 percent capacity, with people sitting at least 6 feet apart (except for families). No items should be passed to or between attendees. Masks are encouraged.
- Salons, tattoo parlors, tanning salons, spas, massage studios and other personal grooming services can open by appointment only and must follow social distancing rules. Masks are required.
- Private campgrounds can reopen, and overnight tent camping can resume in state parks.
- The Department of Motor Vehicles will reopen 11 customer service center locations on Monday, available by appointment only.
What remains closed:
- Schools.
- Beaches, which are limited to exercise and fishing, although Northam said he would make an announcement Monday about the restrictions.
- Entertainment and public amusement businesses, including theaters, performing arts center, concert venues, museums, bowling alleys, skating rinks, arcades, trampoline parks, zoos, aquariums and social clubs.
What remains the same:
- Gatherings are still limited to 10 people, and teleworking and face coverings are still strongly encouraged. Northam has tweaked his “safe at home” order to be “safer at home.” That order remains until at least June 10.
“We need to continue to do things that we’ve been doing all along, the social, physical distancing, the hand-washing, the wearing of facial protection,” Northam said. “If we all work together, we can head in the right direction.”
Businesses Open with Strict Regulations
Many businesses that could open Friday did, although some localities ― including Northern Virginia, Richmond and Accomack County ― requested and were allowed by Northam to keep places closed. Dozens of people, however, were lined up at Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News waiting for it to open.
Oozlefinch brewery on Fort Monroe opened up its patio with a long list of changes, including a restriction on dogs and a warning to parents to control their children. The picnic tables are now off-limits ― patrons have to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on. No customers will be allowed inside, even to use the bathroom. Portable toilets have been set up outside.
Meanwhile, staff members are wearing copper-infused antimicrobial masks, must have their temperatures taken before work and every two hours, have to sanitize all items they bring into the building in a UV-C light box and have to wear gloves that they change every 30 minutes.
“The governor’s recommended mandates are great, but we are going beyond that to protect you, the customers that we love!” Oozlefinch wrote on its Facebook page. “If anyone is found violating these regulations, you and your party will be asked to leave immediately.”
Violators to Safety Rules Should Be Reported
Northam, in his briefing, reminded Virginians that everything is fluid, with things changing “literally by the hour.” If businesses aren’t being safe, they will be shut-down, he said, encouraging workers and customers to report to the state health department and the state’s Department of Labor and Industry whether a business is not following safety guidelines.
“At the end of the day, we want Virginians to be safe,” Northam said. “We’ll continue to work and get through this together.”
