Like several states before it, Virginia is slowly allowing certain businesses and services that had been shuttered weeks before to re-open or allow more customers inside, but with restrictions. You’ll likely notice more mask-wearing, more space, more cleaning.
Here’s our guide to what can reopen (outdoor dining areas at restaurants, outdoor fitness classes, indoor shooting ranges, salons, massage parlors, tattoo parlors, churches, campgrounds, farmers markets) and not (indoor sports and fitness centers, indoor dining areas, overnight summer camps, theaters, concert venues, museums, zoos, aquariums, racetracks or satellite wagering facilities, bowling alleys, skating rinks, trampoline parks, arts and crafts venues, escape rooms, “and all other places of indoor amusement.”) during this first phase.
And here are the specifics in the state guidelines (such as: what kind of cleaning is required, what spacing is necessary, etc.)
Keep checking here to see what’s happening.
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5:54 p.m: Forward Williamsburg plan details city’s steps in reopening public facilities
The City of Williamsburg unveiled its plan to safely reopen public facilities in a Friday news release.
City Manager Andrew Trivette announced his five-phase plan to city staff Monday, after Gov. Ralph Northam issued Executive Order 61 which outlines the state’s first phase to ease some of the restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The “Forward Virginia” plan released by Gov. Northam on April 24 provides a process for reopening the state.
The “Forward Williamsburg” plan, as it is called in the memo to city staff on Monday, “includes protections deemed necessary to help control the risk of infection to the public and our employees.”
All city staff was tested for COVID-19 on Thursday and “had the opportunity to be tested to see if they have previously contracted the disease,” according to the release.
“Our plan is based on current conditions and what we think the process should be to keep residents and workers safe while still providing vital City services,” Trivette said in an email.
There are five phases to the Forward Williamsburg plan. The city is in Phase 0 of the plan as of Friday, and is expected to move into Phase 1 on Monday, according to an email from interim city spokesman Steve Roberts Jr. The city will move to new phases based on guidance from the governor and the Virginia Department of Health and will be announced by Trivette.
“The plan does give us the ability to deviate as needed for local conditions and adapt to meet the needs of residents who need public services,” Trivette said in an email Friday. “It is important to note that the City’s plan only impacts public facilities and has no bearing on private business operations.”
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4:47 p.m: Chesapeake expedites permits for outdoor seating
Chesapeake is offering an expedited permit process for restaurants seeking additional outdoor seating.
The city announced Friday that it would be offering the temporary outdoor permits at no cost. Those seeking a tent permit will need to pay if the tent is larger than 900 square feet.
Outdoor seating is not allowed to affect fire lanes or handicapped parking.
To apply for a permit visit the business section of the city’s website CityOfChesapeake.net/COVID19.
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4:01 p.m: Northam: Health, labor officials ready to crack down on business coronavirus violations
Virginians worried that going back to work as the state gradually reopens puts them at risk need to know state officials have their back, Gov. Ralph Northam said.
The Virginia Department of Health and the state’s Department of Labor and Industry will shut down businesses that aren’t following safety guidelines. Employees and customers should feel free to tell those departments if they see violations, Northam said Friday, in a briefing on the state’s effort to contain the virus on the day Virginia’s stay at home order was eased in most of the state.
“Today is a big day for us,” Northam said.
“We’re all in this together … 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. If we all work together, we can head in the right direction,” he said.
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3:30 p.m: Gov. Northam to make announcement about beaches next week
On Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam said he planned to make an announcement on Monday about the restrictions that have been placed on beaches. Right now, people can only exercise and fish at the beach. Sunbathing is not allowed.
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer remains hopeful that Northam will allow the city to open its beaches by Memorial Day.
The city submitted a proposal to reopen the beaches to the governor earlier this month. Dyer said staff for the city and the governor will keep working on the plan over the weekend until an agreement can be reached. Northam said he is proud of the city’s plan because it prioritizes safety.
“Ultimately, whatever we do, safety from the virus is the importance,” Dyer said. “We want people to know when we do start our phased opening of the beach, it will be safe.”
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3:15 p.m.: Williamsburg/Busch Gardens Area Kampgrounds of America opens for camping
The Williamsburg/Busch Gardens area KOA is one of over 520 open-to-the-public KOA campgrounds in the Kampgrounds of America system in the U.S. and Canada, and it’s now open again.
“Campground staff are eager to welcome our guests for another season of camping,” said Kampgrounds of America President and CEO Toby O’Rourke. “We’ve been helping our locally owned locations with tools to ensure guests and staff can safely kick back and relax at their favorite campgrounds.”
Some campground amenities such as the pool, splash pad, gravity rail, playground and activity room are closed at this time to respect social distancing and local government recreation recommendations.
To make reservations, please call Williamsburg/Busch Gardens Area KOA at (757) 565-2907 or by visiting their website.
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3:07 p.m.: COVID-19 forces change of venue for Tuesday’s City Council election
Williamsburg voters will vote from their car seats for the May City Council general election scheduled for Tuesday.
The election was previously scheduled for May 5, until Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order postponed elections by two weeks because of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result of the pandemic, the physical voting locations for the Matoaka and Stryker precincts have been consolidated to a single, vehicle drive-thru system at the Williamsburg Fire Department, located at 440 N. Boundary St.
Director of Elections Tina Reitzel admitted that these are “unusual” circumstances for voters, but also emphasized that the Office of Elections is following all guidance and laws to ensure that the City Council general election is conducted safely and efficiently.
“We are protecting both ourselves and the voters,” Reitzel said. “We are thinking of all the safety precautions for everyone involved. Those extra precautions are something that we take seriously, and we are going to continue to do (them), not only now but going forward.”
According to a city news release, voters will drive into the second entrance to the municipal building parking lot, then drive through the back parking lot and toward the fire station. They’ll stop at Armistead Avenue, where an elections officer will direct them to the appropriate line for their voting precinct.
The Matoaka and Stryker voting precincts will be split between the two bays of the fire station. Elections officers will assist voters in their vehicles, and all voters need to present ID before voting.
Voters will remain in their vehicles while they fill out their ballots, then hand their ballots to an elections officer, “who will put the ballot in a ballot counting machine within eyesight of each voter,” the news release states. A privacy envelope will also be available to any voter upon request.
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3:00 p.m.: Gyms –Something borrowed, now returned as crossfit classes restart
After holding classes online for weeks, Somnium Crossfit is opening its Norfolk gym back up on Friday, even though patrons still aren’t allowed inside. As mandated by the first phase of reopening guidelines, all classes and open gym exercise will take place outdoors at the Avenue J location.
Gym owner Austin Mitchell said the business is taking several other safety precautions, like sanitizing equipment before and after use, limiting hourly time slots to 10 members at a time and asking members to wear masks during workouts. Mitchell said he was confident his staff would be able to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Even with all the extra hurdles, Mitchell said the members he has spoken with are eager to return. He even saw a few of them in person on Wednesday as they returned the equipment that they had borrowed for home workouts.
“They’ve been counting down the days to come back,” he said.
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1:48 p.m.: Patrick Henry Mall reopens
Dozens of people lined up outside the main entrance of Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News before it opened for the first time in months Friday morning.
Some stores, including the major department stores like Dillard’s and JCPenny, were still closed. But over 50 stores and restaurants at the mall opened their doors Friday, with more scheduled in the coming weeks.
There were lines inside the mall too as stores restricted the number of people inside at a time. Some of the longest lines were at shoe and apparel stores like DTLR, where John Outsey was waiting for a chance to buy shoes.
Mall employees gave out masks and sanitizing wipes at the mall’s entrances, although some people still weren’t wearing masks inside. An employee at DTLR told customers in line that masks were required inside their store, which lead Outsey to go back to one of the entrances to grab a mask.
“I’m a shoe fanatic,” Outsey said. “I just want to buy some shoes.”
All of the tables were gone in the food court, although a few tables remained in other spots in the mall. Most of the food stalls throughout the mall were open and had at least a few customers picking up pretzels, cinnamon rolls and drinks.
Corey and Morgan Jennings stopped at Chik-Fil-A in the food court to pick up food with their son after encountering the lines at the stores.
“We came out to get shoes, but we didn’t want to wait,” Morgan Jennings said.
She is a respiratory therapist at Riverside Regional Medical Center and Corey Jennings works at the shipyard, so they haven’t had much time outside of working hours to get out. They were excited to have a chance to get out and felt safe at the mall.
“It’s pretty good,” Corey Jennings said. “It looks like they’ve got a plan in place.”
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1:55 p.m.: Lynnhaven Mall reopens, while most of its stores remain closed
Lynnhaven Mall, though open, still had most of its stores shuttered Friday, their grates pulled down and lights off.
An employee offers masks to those who enter the mall without one, and signs everywhere urge visitors to maintain social distancing and “sit smart, 6 ft apart.” One in the bathroom encourages washing your hands “like your mother is watching.”
Still, some people enjoyed eating on the outdoor patio of Maggie McFly’s or shopping through the clearance rack at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
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1:40 p.m.: Employees at Virginia Beach restaurant take precautions amid Virginia’s reopening
At Virginia Beach’s Town Center and the Pembroke Mall across the way, activity was still pretty muted around lunchtime Friday, though some businesses showed signs of life. The doors to stores including Anthropologie were propped open to indicate they’re open for business, while others still had signs up of their closure.
Over at Cantina Laredo, it was the first day in months that the restaurant could utilize its three outdoor patios, said operations manager Niraj Patel.
The eatery is taking cleaning and screening seriously: employees get their temperatures taken before coming in and wear masks and gloves, and the entire facility, including the bathroom, is wiped down and sanitized every half hour.
“Everything that could be cleaned, we clean it,” Patel said. “That’s our main priority … from the pens that are used in the restaurant to the door handles.”
Customers are also allowed to choose where they sit, he said. All tables are at least 6 feet apart, and overall the patios can only host half of their capacity. Menus are also disposable.
There’s been a pretty steady number of customers so far for lunch Friday, the first meal for which it was open for dine-in business. And the “phone has been ringing for tonight,” Patel added.
“The customers have been very happy,” he said. “We’ll do everything we can to make them feel comfortable.”
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1:21 p.m.: William & Mary to hold virtual commencement ceremony Saturday
The College of William & Mary is inviting the community to join its Class of 2020 graduates for the university’s first-ever virtual commencement ceremony online Saturday.
The day was previously reserved for this year’s in-person commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that ceremony will now be held during fall break, Oct. 9-11.
President Katherine Rowe, Chancellor Robert Gates, Provost Peggy Agouris and the deans will instead preside over a virtual ceremony for all Class of 2020 graduates this weekend. All students who have completed their graduation requirements will receive their diplomas via mail, following Saturday’s “virtual conferral,” according to the William & Mary website.
The main virtual ceremony will be available online at 10 a.m. Saturday on the William & Mary webpage at wm.edu/sites/commencement/virtual/ followed by departmental ceremonies in various time blocks.
In the latest “Community Conversations” video posted online Wednesday, Rowe said that this virtual ceremony is meant to be “joyful,” “personal,” “inclusive” and “different” — while also acknowledging “the significance of this moment for William & Mary and for our nation.”
“Help us celebrate the extraordinary Class of 2020, and mark what will be a historic moment for William & Mary,” she said.
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1:06 p.m.: The Adventure Park in Virginia Beach reopens as an outdoor exercise facility
The Adventure Park, an “outdoor adventure playground” associated with but run independently of the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach, was back up and running as of Friday morning, said Candie Fisher, vice president of sales and marketing for the park.
Though museums and entertainment or amusement businesses must remain closed in Virginia under Phase 1, Fisher said the park is opening as an outdoor exercise facility.
“It’s a good opportunity for people to get outside,” she said. “When we sent out the announcement people were very excited.”
Your experience at the park, however, won’t look the same right now.
The facility is only accepting about half of its normal capacity, and requires face coverings and physical distancing.
“We’re on 5 acres, so there’s a lot of room” for physical distancing, she said.
It’s only doing contactless transactions and equipment — which includes metal cables, not ropes — is disinfected after each use, including steam cleaning of harnesses.
There’s been a “flurry” of calls for this weekend, but the park’s not booked up yet, Fisher said. The facility strongly encourages booking ahead on its website.
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1:00 p.m.: Local restaurants add outdoor seating to accommodate diners
By Friday late morning, some were able to find a spot to dine outdoors.
Perfectly Frank, a hot dog joint in the Edinburgh Shopping Center in Chesapeake, had four small round tables with four chairs each set up in the parking lot.
Owner Dever Clevinger used caution tape and cones to section off the seating across three parking spaces directly in front.
A post on the business’s Facebook page about the table set up said, “did someone say parking lot party?!?” and that they were excited to get their customers back. For weeks, the business has been doing to-go orders but has kept their employees working.
Clevinger said she simply set the tables up herself before opening at 10:30 a.m. She said she wasn’t aware of an expedited process the Virginia Alcoholic and Beverage Authority released information about on Wednesday, allowing businesses to expand outdoor dining options.
Clevinger said that the rules have been changing every day and that she would “wait and see” if the city says anything to her about her parking lot dining area.
The ABC process allows businesses to create outdoor dining in places like parking lots and sidewalks but with written approval of the city they are located as well as a drawn up diagram of the area.
Clevinger, who said she wasn’t selling alcohol outside, says her loyal customers have helped keep her 13-year business afloat over the last several weeks.
Perfectly Frank has been there the longest out of the other businesses nearby, including a Great Clips hair salon which on Friday midday had a short line of customers waiting outside for appointments.
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1:00 p.m.: Some local houses of worship reopen at limited capacity, while others delay
Catholics throughout the Diocese of Richmond will resume celebrating Mass in their parishes the weekend of May 23, according to a news release from the diocese.
Celebration of Masses had been suspended since March 22.
“We have been in the diocese planning for some time to find ways to provide the sacraments and Masses but with limitations to keep the safety and well-being of all in consideration,” said Bishop Barry C. Knestout in the release. “We expect a gradual opening due to the size and difference of our parishes within each locality and given individual parish circumstances,”
Guidelines were sent to priests on May 13 by the diocese’s office of preparation to remind them about social distancing of six feet and face coverings by all congregants ages three and older.
Currently, Bishop Knestout continues to dispense Catholics from the obligation of attending Mass on Sundays and holy days due to Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order and capacity limit.
He also noted that on Thursday, local leaders in Richmond and Accomack County requested a two-week delay to enter phase 1 until Friday, May 29, 2020.
“Bishop Knestout is directing all parishes located in the City of Richmond and the County of Accomack to delay moving to Phase 1 Reopening until the Sunday Vigil Mass on Saturday, May 30, 2020,” the release said. “This includes delaying offering public Masses. This affects approximately 10 parishes in Richmond City and two on the Eastern Shore of Accomack Co.”
Those who have questions should contact prepared@richmonddiocese.org.
The Mosque and Islamic Center of Hampton Roads on Tide Mill Lane also said it will delay reopening. It serves 3,000 Muslims around Hampton Roads, and did not open for Friday midday services like it normally would.
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12:55 p.m.: Restaurants — Not everyone is eager to open their patios to business
Just because restaurants and businesses can open or expand today doesn’t mean they will, and the decision doesn’t appear to be an easy one. Owners have had to wrestle with a host of conflicting issues and feelings. Some need to rehire workers as part of small business loans that have to be spent within eight weeks but those workers are likely earning more on unemployment through the end of July thanks to a federal government stimulus or may feel at risk coming back to work. Do you hire them back, cutting their income back down, and potentially put them in harm’s way? Plus, what will they do if the business isn’t yet operating at full capacity?
That’s partly what kept Courtney White, the owner and chef at Blanca in Norfolk’s Riverview neighborhood, up at night. In less than 24 hours she went from planning to open her patio to customers Friday, to deciding not to. “We are ready. We want to party. But I can’t escape this nagging feeling in my gut,” she wrote in a message posted to the restaurant’s Instagram page Thursday. Noting the additional cases of COVID-19 reported by the state as well as the looks on her worried staff’s faces, she decided against reopening. “We’re all treading water in new territory. I don’t know what the answer is, but I think I need more time. I think Virginia needs more time to see our cases decrease,” she wrote.
It was shortly after noon on Thursday, when she had gotten three calls for dinner reservations, and realized the timing just didn’t feel right.
“It would be a real shame if I felt somebody got sick because we, you know, had to serve people on our patio two weeks earlier than we should have,” she said Friday by phone.
“I certainly don’t blame people for wanting to open either,” she said. “This is what made sense for me.”
Taste Unlimited which has several locations across Hampton Roads made a similar decision to stick with curbside pickup and delivery but to keep their patios closed to dining in, for now. In a Facebook post, the company said, “As much as we would love to see and serve you all on our stores’ premises, our top priority remains the health and safety of our team and guests.”
Mango Mangeux, A Simply Panache Bistro, in Hampton plans to do reservations only for its patio and rooftop seating, but won’t start that until next week, or later.
“We’ll do that next week when everyone feels good about it, our leadership and staff,” co-owner Lakesha Brown-Renfro said Friday. “I know there is going to be a lot of rules to reopen and we are not in a rush. We want to make sure everyone is comfortable.”
Renfro co-owns several hospitality businesses under the “Simply Panache” brand, most of which have been closed since March. The company has relied on takeout orders and selling its signature mango preserves product to survive.
“We have a robust enough curbside business,” Renfro said.
Hampton officials on Thursday announced plans to close portions of Mellen Street and Queens Way, where clusters of restaurants are to help accommodate owners who need space to offer outdoor seating. Street closures would not take place until likely next weekend. Restaurants need to secure temporary permits to expand outdoor seating into the streets.
Renfo has had to lay off staff, is planning a job fair to recruit new team members.
Marker 20 on Queens Way in Hampton also posted on Facebook that it would wait until the next phase to reopen.
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12:48 p.m.: Folks in York County line up to get haircuts
By 10:30 a.m. Friday, about eight people had gathered outside the Great Clips in the Tabb section of York County, waiting for their turn in the chair.
Noah Burkhard was one of them. After months without a haircut, he was looking forward to a trim, and Great Clips was the only chain he could find open nearby.
“I’m just trying to get a haircut — like everybody else,” Burkhard said.
Great Clips isn’t taking walk-in customers right now, so people who want a hair cut have to check in online first. Burkhard first tried a Great Clips closer to where he lives in Hampton, but when he checked in he was told it would take almost four hours.
Instead, he made the drive to Tabb. After checking in with an employee holding an iPad, he was told it’d take about an hour to get inside.
Some of the customers sat in chairs set up by the store outside, all facing the same direction and spaced apart. Burkhard didn’t plan to go anywhere else Friday, except maybe the grocery store.
“It’s hard,” Burkhard said, standing away from the other customers in the shade of a closed UPS store. “A lot of people aren’t doing the social distancing anymore.”
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12:34 p.m.: Residents in Smithfield visit local shops and restaurants
In Smithfield, the reopening — along with the sunny weather — brought people out to enjoy sandwiches and coffee at Main Street’s several restaurants.
It felt good to have a sit-down for the first time in weeks outside a favorite spot, Smithfield Gourmet Bakering and Cafe, said Jeff Hobbs, owner of Hobbs Mechanical, pausing from his club sandwich and french fries.
Most of Main Street’s stores had closed, even though Gov. Ralph Northam’s emergency orders did allow them to do business as long as fewer than 10 people showed up.
“But I think people were scared to come out,” Hobbs said. “The reopening order, and this nice weather, should change that .. It’s good getting outside. People were getting cabin fever.”
Skyler Epps, who works at the Sew Personal Boutique, a clothing and embroidery shop, was excited to opened for the first time in weeks.
The store’s online business had kept her busy over the past few weeks, but it’s fun to interact with customers.
“It’s been pretty busy,” said Logan Epps, at Smithfield Ice Cream, as he assembled one of its submarine sandwiches for a customer waiting outside.
The restaurant has been open for takeout, but Epps said it’s encoruaging to see people coming by and sitting down outside to eat.
Seaborne’s Barber Shop is asking customers to call ahead to make an appointment, and asks them to wait outside until their barber calls them in.
As at Sew Personal, the barber shop asks customers to wear masks. It also asks that only person per barber be in the shop at any one time.
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12:39 p.m.: Hair salon in Norfolk welcomes guests for the first time in weeks
For those in the hair care industry, the last two months have been filled with anxiety and uncertainty: The continual pushing back of appointment dates. Financial worries about how to keep the lights on.
On Friday, Norma Dorey felt grateful. She and her employees at Changes City Spa and Jake’s Place in Norfolk had butterflies in their stomachs, she said. For the first time in weeks, they were able to let clients through their front doors. In a limited capacity, anyway.
Under the governor’s Phase 1 guidelines, salons and barbershops can operate at 50% capacity and by appointment only, with six feet of distance between stations.
Dorey said her businesses were doing all they could to make sure they’re safe for customers and technicians, including staying under 50% occupancy, limiting hours and staggering appointments so there’s plenty of time between clients to fully sanitize work stations and tools. Customers are being asked to stay in their cars when they arrive for appointments, coming inside only when instructed to do so.
And while haircuts, coloring, manicures and pedicures are a go, other services – beard trims, lip waxes, facials and massages – remain on hold.
With customers eager to get long locks trimmed and roots colored, Dorey said the phones had been busy – with more calls than they could service.
“It feels great,” Dorey said. “It’s wonderful. This is what I do; this is what I love.”
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11:56 a.m.: Hampton to close Queens Way, Mellen Street to accommodate outdoor seating for restaurants
Hampton plans to close portions of Queens Way in downtown and Mellen Street in Phoebus, as soon as next weekend to give restaurants there more room for outdoor seating.
City Manager Mary Bunting made the announcement Thursday during a Facebook live segment. The time will give restaurant owners time to secure temporary outdoor dining permits.
Virginia launched phase 1 opening Friday which permits restaurants to offer outdoor seating up to 50% of its normal capacity.
The Queens Way strip where many restaurants are clustered is narrow and much of the outdoor seating area is limited. Along Mellen Street, the sidewalks also are not very wide.
Applications that restaurant owners would need to fill out are short and will be available on the city’s website Monday, Bunting said.
Restaurants who intend to serve alcohol beverages in the expanded outdoor areas would also need to apply to the Virginia ABC for permits.
Similar opportunities for other businesses to apply for permits to use sidewalks or expanded areas in shopping centers are available, depending on locations, with permission of landlords, Bunting added.
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11:41 a.m.: Isle of Wight supervisors approve budget with a coronavirus contingency fund
Bracing for an economic hit from the coronavirus, Isle of Wight County Supervisors voted to hold spending next year essentially at this year’s $79 million level, with just a $380,000 increase.
And, for the seventh year running, there will be no increase in the real estate or personal property tax rates.
The budget reflects County Administrator Randy R. Keaton’s view that his early projections of a $497,000 increase in collections of sales, hotel and meals, made before the coronavirus hit, probably won’t materialize.
He had wanted to use that to pay for a 2% pay increase for county employees and to increase the county’s contribution to the school system by 1.4%, or $388,000.
Keaton had also hoped to add 14 positions in several departments, including six for the Sheriff’s office. Those won’t happen now, although the supervisors could mend the budget if revenues do rise enough.
The board considered but took no action on a request from Sheriff James Clarke to fund an additional school resource officer.
“I think we’re going to have an opportunity after the end of the calendar year to look at where we are … and address some of these priorities,” Vice Chairman Dick Grice said.
“I look out for fat and there’s not a lot of fat in this budget,” he said.
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11:37 a.m.: Tattoos — Virginia Beach parlor nervously anticipating reopening, prepares for new normal wearing masks
Gabriel Cece thinks he may have ordered more hand sanitizer from Amazon than anyone ever has in a single order. It’s been part of the preparations to reopen his Studio Evolve Tattoo parlor in Virginia Beach, in addition to buying 300 reusable masks for his staff which includes 20 tattoo artists, and more than 500 disposable masks for customers who don’t bring their own. He also added a camping sink just past the front door so people can wash their hands as soon as they enter. No one will be allowed to wait inside and no friends or family can join a customer. Before getting a tattoo at his shop, customers will need to also fill out a questionnaire, have their temperatures taken with a no-touch thermometer and are asked to call the shop immediately if they come down with any symptoms or test positive in the next 14 days so it can be traced.
“I’m sure there are going to be people who are not going to be thrilled to wear masks,” he said, noting that he had already encountered a passionate online debate started by someone who said his shop would lose customers because of it. It’s a state requirement that all staff and customers in personal grooming services wear masks.
“It’s not going to be fun, but it’s what we have to do. And it’s smart,” Cece said. He doesn’t expect the new accessory to go away anytime soon either. “We’re going to be wearing masks, we’re going to be doing all the right things.”
Cece said many tattoo and piercing shops have been doing the right things for quite some time. It’s a necessity for an industry that can’t have customers catching anything after having been pierced by needles.
“I firmly believe that reputable tattoo shops, who practice aseptic technique and sterile procedure, across the world, will be some of the safest places to be, once we get back into the swing of being humans again,” he said.
There’s nervous anticipation, though, he said with reopening, mainly of the unknowns out of one’s control.
“We’re all excited to get back to work. We’re all really looking forward to be able to pay our bills again,” he said. “Not to be able to do what we do for almost two months, is very difficult. Like every artist, you need any outlet.” That said, though, he doesn’t know a single tattooer who isn’t concerned about returning. There’s is worry, fear and internal conflict. Less than half of his 20 tattoo artists are returning Friday, others will start later. Cece doesn’t plan to do his first tattoo back until after June 10, the governor’s original expiration for his stay at home order that has shifted to “safer at home.”
He’s been tattooing for 25 years and this is one of the longest stretches he hasn’t done a tattoo, but he doesn’t want to risk bringing home the virus to his loved ones, including his children who he’s been homeschooling.
“We’re going to navigate it just like everyone else,” he said of getting back to work.
During the pandemic, Cece also chose to close a tattoo parlor he had recently bought in Norfolk’s NEON district called Fuzion Ink that he was rebranding into the Granby Street Tattoo Shop. While it had potential early on, he didn’t think the economic climate of the pandemic would reward staying open as more and more people might hold onto what disposal income they have.
“It was a very difficult decision to make, to err on the side of caution, and likely for the first time in my professional career, actually put my health and well-being in front of tattooing,” he said. “In the end, I know I made the right choice, for myself, my children, the existing Studio Evolve, and likely, the happiness of the rest of my days. Just as I stumbled into this, I have serendipitously stumbled out.”
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11:00 a.m.: Customers flock to barbershops in Greenbrier and Churchland
At Vintage Barber Co. in the Churchland section of Chesapeake, Kiersten Fallon was giving her first official paid haircut in about a month and a half.
Her barbershop, which caters mostly to military and law enforcement, has locations in Greenbrier and Churchland but has been closed down since late March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“You can’t social distance with this job,” Fallon said.
As of Friday morning, the shop was completely booked up with appointments for the next few days.
Fallon said she was a little nervous coming back to work because of all the people her type of job exposes her to, but the world can’t remain indefinitely closed, and she was ready for her first day back.
Across from her, Fallon’s co-worker asked a client whose hair she was cutting: “feel like yourself again?”
Outside, customers waited in their cars for appointments. They have to wear masks while sitting in the chair, as does Fallon.
Two other stylists were working at the shop in Greenbrier which was also fielding lots of calls. They typically have seven women between both shops cutting hair but three were uncomfortable coming back during the partial reopening, Fallon said.
Fallon says she lives with three military roommates and has been giving them haircuts during the stay-at-home order. Those were given away free.
Now, under the partial reopening, Vintage Barber Co. is following strict rules. They are cleaning the barber chairs with hospital-grade cleaner in between each client and have plenty of sanitizer on hand.
Fallon’s job was finding a way to social distance.
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10:51 a.m.: Restaurants — Baker’s Crust preps to reopen, plans to expand into parking lots
John Stein, co-owner and founder of the local Baker’s Crust restaurant group, began prepping for reopening last week, ordering face masks with the Baker’s Crust logo for his staff, printing paper menus that will be disposed after every customer, figuring out physical spacing at his restaurants and new sanitation procedures. He had held off on offering takeout or delivery until now because without any kind of sit-down dining, it just didn’t pencil out. Being able to use his patios though, and expand outside from there, coupled with takeout and delivery orders, “gets us to that model that works.”
It’s still likely not a model flush with cash, though. In the short term, he’s expecting to earn at least 35% to 50 percent of the sales made before the pandemic took hold. Eventually, when the restaurant can open up part of the inside dining room if given the state’s OK, he said he hopes to reach anywhere from 50% to 75% of pre-COVID-19 sales. He said his budget outlook is an effort to be realistic.
“Your goal is to break even and then rethink your model,” he said. “You have to reinvent yourself in some form.”
He also co-owns The Neighborhood Harvest, a hydroponic farm and produce delivery operation out of Suffolk that, unlike his restaurant business, has, “grown like a weed.” He said he could have never planned for a pandemic that would plague one enterprise and boost another at the same time.
The restaurant chain has five locations across Hampton Roads in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk and Williamsburg, two in Richmond and one in Northern Virginia. The Norfolk location will open next Thursday while its interior is being renovated and his Ashburn restaurant will reopen later per an order that delays reopenings there
Stein said being able to expand his patios – which might have given him four to seven tables depending on the size of his outdoor space because of the 50% capacity limit but could now fit 12 to 14 or so – is a necessity. Being able to push the boundaries into nearby parking lots, too, so long as the cities are behind it (and they appear to be), is “going to help out tremendously.”
As for Northam’s, perhaps, conservative approach to reopening depending on who one asks, Stein acknowledged that the medical and scientific outlook can be on opposing sides with the economic and business one, and he just hopes there can be a meeting in the middle.
“We do not want to open for business when it’s going to put people in harm’s way. And we’re not experts in that field,” he said. “As emotional as it can get because our livelihoods depend on it, it’s still a balance.”
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10:34 a.m.: Chesapeake city facilities to partially reopen Monday
City offices and facilities in Chesapeake will partially reopen to the public on Monday, according to an announcement on the city’s website.
The website said city employees will continue to report for work or telecommute so that all essential city services are maintained, but the safest option to conduct city business is to do it online at CityofChesapeake.net/Online-Services or to call 757-382-2489, or the department you need to work with.
While the Governor and the Virginia Department of Elections encourages voters to use mail-in ballots for Tuesday’s election, curbside and in-person voting will be offered in Chesapeake.
Some polling locations have been moved, and the city is encouraging residents to check the list it has provided. For more details on voting in Chesapeake, visit cityofchesapeake.net/vote or call the voter registrar’s office at 277-9797.
The city also said animal adoptions will start again Monday.
“There will be a limit of 10 people allowed in the building with four or less per group,” the city said on its website. “It’s recommended that all visitors wear masks and practice social distancing. Call before coming to make sure services are available.”
For those missing pets, the city said to visit CityofChesapeake.net/AnimalServices to see if your pet is listed. If it is, call 757-382-8080 and press option 1 to make arrangements for a pickup.
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10:07 a.m.: 859 new coronavirus cases, 22 more deaths reported as Virginia begins to reopen
There were 859 new coronavirus cases reported Friday morning, according to data released from the Virginia Department of Health.
The state now has 28,672 cases, with 27,293 being confirmed by tests and another 1,379 probable ones.
Another 22 deaths were also reported overnight, bringing the statewide tally to 977.
So far, at least 176,681 people in Virginia have been tested using PCR tests — which stands for polymerase chain reaction. It detects trace amounts of a virus in specimens collected from swabs to the nose, throat or mouth.
Of the 977 deaths across the state, 508 have been Virginians older than 80, 231 between the ages of 70 and 79, 154 between the ages of 60 and 69, 53 between the ages of 50 and 59, 21 between 40-49, seven between 30-39 and two from 20-29.
Of those who have died in Hampton Roads, nine died in Accomack County, 19 in Virginia Beach, 10 died in Chesapeake, five in Norfolk, 22 in Suffolk, 10 in Portsmouth, 15 in James City County, seven in Northampton County, 10 in Newport News, three in Hampton, three in Isle of Wight, three in York County, three in Williamsburg and one in Gloucester.
In Hampton Roads, Accomack County has the most cases at 648. Virginia Beach has 535, Chesapeake has 379, Norfolk has 349, Suffolk has 255, Portsmouth has 219, Northampton County has 193, Newport News has 184, James City County has 179, Hampton has 158, Isle of Wight has 115, York County has 62, Williamsburg has 42, Gloucester has 28 and Poquoson has 7.
The number of cases in Accomack County increased by 55 since Thursday. Chesapeake also saw an increase of 17 cases and Suffolk saw an increase of 34 cases.
Of the 28,672 cases in Virginia, 14,364 are women, 14,124 are men and 184 did not have a reported gender.
The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association reported Tuesday that there are now 1,511 hospitalizations related to the coronavirus. Of those, 1,053 patients have tested positive for the virus and 458 have COVID-19 symptoms serious enough to require hospitalization but are pending final test results.
The association also reported that 3,805 patients have been hospitalized for the virus and released since the outbreak reached Virginia.
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10:01 a.m.: Salons – Booked for two weeks solid, staff at Salon Vivace role-played to prepare
Salons can be chatty places for the topic of the day. For customers looking for a break from any COVID-19 talk, though, at least one salon owner hopes they can provide an escape for those that want it.
“Our goal is to not even talk about the pandemic unless they bring it up,” said Charles Ieni, CEO of Salon Vivace which has locations in Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg.
Preparation has included having his staff role-playing what the experience would be like including the cleaning processes between each customer’s appointment and how people will move through the space to still keep their distance. Usually, the hair stylist might stand in front of a customer to talk to them about what they want to do with their hair. Now, they’ll stand behind, for example. Every staff member will wear a mask and customers will be provided one if they don’t have one, he said. If they don’t wear it, he said he’ll be encouraging them to book an appointment at a later date.
Ieni said his Hampton Roads locations are so far booked for two weeks, and he’s stopped there, “just in case the governor should decide it’s not as safe as he thought,” he said. But if this first week goes well, he’ll book another, and another.
Just because salons can open, doesn’t mean that every grooming option available before will be back on the menu now.
Ieni’s salons are reopening at 9 a.m. with hair services, manicures and pedicures and waxing below the waist. There won’t be the usual facial waxes (required masks to be worn by customers would make that a challenge) or massages (at least through the end of May).
“We want to get through the first week or two and iron out the safety precautions,” he said. “It’s a lot to take on at one time,” he said. “We don’t want to be careless about anything.”
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10:00 a.m.: Patrons head to Town Center Cold Pressed
Town Center Cold Pressed’s Virginia Beach location has already been “a lot busier” than previously, store manager Catherine Holmes said Friday morning.
Staff has seen an “influx,” particularly with to-go orders, she said. People come in but then ask how they can prepay and order ahead next time.
“Because we already have so many to-go orders, the line can get backed up pretty easily,” she said.
But other than the higher demand, Friday doesn’t mark too much of a change — the store was already doing carryout orders and allowing people to sit outside, since there are only a couple tables.
Holmes said she’s glad to see business picking up some.”We definitely need it.”
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8:20 a.m.: Norfolk, Virginia Beach make it easier for restaurants to expand outdoor seating
With a mid-week change by the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control authority, it’s now easier for Hampton Roads restaurants to expand their outdoor dining spaces and serve alcohol since phase 1 rules explicitly forbid customers from ordering and eating inside. The agency still requires a business to obtain a city or county’s written approval. In Chesapeake, those approvals already fell to the city manager rather than an elected body.
In Norfolk and Virginia Beach, city leaders raced Thursday to make the process easier for restaurants there, waiving any need for a permit in some case.
In Virginia Beach, a restaurant can now expand their outdoor dining spaces without a permit, unless it wants to do so on a public sidewalk or other adjacent or nearby city property. The permit would be free and require the city be added to the restaurant’s insurance policy. Businesses can apply at www.vbgov.com/sga.
In Norfolk, a restaurant can expand their outdoor seating into a public sidewalk or on-street parking space, or in any parking lot or yard under the business’ control, seemingly without any prior city approval. Through the new program dubbed, “OpenNorfolk,” the city is also offering free stencils and signage and outdoor furniture to businesses that want it, as well as free physical help to move furniture and build parklet space. Interested small businesses can email opennorfolk@wparch.com. If a restaurant wants to serve alcohol in one of these temporary spaces that involves the public right of way, like a sidewalk or parking space, it needs to add the city of Norfolk to its liability insurance coverage and email proof. And if a restaurant really wants a permit (it doesn’t need it though) the city says the business owner can contact the city’s building official Phillip Williams. But the city notes, even emphasizes, that, “this is a courtesy for your own insurance purposes and/or peace-of-mind and is not necessary.”
Portsmouth hasn’t changed its outdoor dining permit process and didn’t appear to be poised to do so.
City spokesperson Dana Woodson said, “our established process is more than capable of responding in a timely or accelerated fashion as needed. No additional City Council action is necessary.” Portsmouth restaurants interested in expanding existing outdoor areas or wanting to do so for the first time, should contact the city’s planning department at 757-393-8836.
Newport News has said restaurants will still need to work with the city’s codes office before expanding and York County is telling county planning and fire officials to work with restaurants interested in reopening.
The process doesn’t end with the cities and counties, though. After getting a municipal OK, Virginia ABC also wants a diagram of the seating arrangement and, if the seating area is outside the restaurant’s leased or owned space, additional approval from the Virginia Department of Health.
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Today’s the day
It’s surely been marked in more than a few calendars, likely in pencil, as it had already been pushed back once, then again and there was no guarantee until earlier this week that even May 15 would stick as the day (some of) Virginia might begin to wake up from its pandemic-induced slumber, even as the risk of catching COVID-19 remained.
Northern Virginia, the Eastern Shore and Richmond all elected this week to delay the reopening of certain nonessential businesses there. Hampton Roads, though, is among those regions moving ahead with Gov. Ralph Northam’s “Forward Virginia” plan.
For those who snagged the first available appointments with a stylist or barber, today may be their first professional haircut in nearly two months. It’s also the first opportunity to grab a bite without having to bring it back to one’s own dining room table, with restaurants allowed to serve food in outdoor spaces if they choose to. Had you longed for a tattoo, a massage, a waxing, even, while contemplating the shrinking feeling from seeing only the insides of your own walls for several weeks on end? All are now available by appointment, too.
But it won’t be a free-for-all. Virginians still can’t dine inside a restaurant, hang out at a bar or go to the gym, unless any of those things are outdoors, rules that have irked members of both the hospitality and fitness industries who have felt it isn’t fair to allow other non-essential retail to open at half their indoor capacities.
The experience of getting a haircut and going to a restaurant in phase 1 may also feel very different than it did pre-pandemic.
There will be masks. In salons, staff and customers will wear them. At restaurants, your server will. Paper menus will be tossed after each use. There will be space – at least six feet between you and the next table over.
Malls are also beginning to reopen, but don’t expect to take the kids to any indoor play areas or be able to sit and eat inside the food court. The Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, the Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake and Lynnhaven and Pembroke malls in Virginia Beach are among those opening at 11 a.m. Friday but with new restrictions. Inside the Patrick Henry Mall’s common areas, that includes anyone younger than 18 years old being accompanied by an adult or guardian who is at least 21 years old. At Lynnhaven, it means no more valet.
Some things won’t be opening just yet. MacArthur Center mall in downtown Norfolk is waiting until Thursday. Ikea hasn’t set a reopening date, but it is restarting curbside pickup for online orders beginning Friday. Colonial Williamsburg remains closed through at least May 31.
Today also represents one of the first chances for many of the hundreds of thousands of people across the state who found themselves suddenly out of a job to go back to work. It may not have been easy to return, though. There are worries from business owners and staff alike about safety. Some businesses say they’re taking precautions above what’s being mandated by the state. At least one isn’t taking reservations past two weeks in case the health statistics take a turn and the governor doesn’t push forward with phase 2.
Phase 1 is expected to last at least two weeks. Then it will be time to mark the calendar for phase 2.
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This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for our latest updates.
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