New Executive Order
Important information for residents of Virginia.
Masks have always been required, but new law in Virginia causes children of ages 5 and older to wear them. Make sure to keep up with new laws if you have young children to keep them, and the community safe.
On November 13th 2020, Governor Northam of Virginia issued the 6th amendment of executive order 67. This executive order was issued to tighten restrictions on the Covid- 19 virus.
This past Friday, the governor of Virginia issued an executive order that will change Covid-19 restrictions in the state. As the number of cases rises in the state, the governor decided to make new restrictions to help the state move in a positive direction.
As Virginias, the restrictions will not be too hard to abide by. The major differences are concerning businesses, public gatherings, personal gathering, sports spectators, and masks.
There are two changes that effect businesses, specifically having to do with restaurants. The order states, “No alcoholic beverage shall be sold, consumed, or possessed on premises after 10:00 p.m. in any restaurant, dining establishment, food court, brewery, microbrewery, distillery, winery, or tasting room. Alcoholic beverages may continue to be sold via delivery or take-out after 10 p.m”. The other and only difference to buying and selling food is, “Closure of all dining and congregation areas in restaurants, dining establishments, food courts, breweries, microbreweries, distilleries, wineries, and tasting rooms between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5 a.m”. It is important to mention that though these restrictions are in act, you can still get takeout food and alcohol from establishments within these hours.
When dealing with your local exercise facility, there are some new restrictions to mind. The order states, “The total number of attendees (including both participants and instructors) in all group exercise and fitness classes cannot exceed the lesser of 75% of the minimum occupancy load on the certificate of occupancy or 25 persons.” This was not a large change, but Virginians should keep this in mind when they are going to a facility of this sort.
Lastly, there are tighter restrictions on recreational sports. The executive order now states, “number of spectators cannot exceed the lesser of 30% of the occupancy load of the certificate of occupancy for the venue, if applicable, or 25 spectators per field. Races or marathons may have up to 250 participants, provided staggered starts separate runners into groups of 25 or less.”
Though the biggest restrictions on the lives of Virginians have to do with the buying and selling of food and beverages, there is a noteworthy change for all Virginians to be conscious of. There is a common thread throughout this order that has limited most gatherings to 25 people. This is an important rule of thumb to abide by when organizing and attending outdoor or indoor gatherings. Another important change to remember is that every person over the age of 5 needs to wear a mask in indoor settings.
Though the governor has gotten some back lash from this executive order, many Virginians are beginning to see the reason for it. The Governor said the cause of this order has to do with the rising of number of Corona Virus cases in Virginia and the numbers of cases in other states. On the Friday the order was stated, in a video, he states, “Numbers are going up in ever region of the state, and we must act as one commonwealth to get this virus under control.” As Virginians, we must follow these guidelines in our communities and help each other as well as ourselves. The governor is acting early, so we can keep our infection rate down, and we should all do our part to keep Virginia safe by abiding by these rules.
