Gov. Northam is not reinstating COVID-19 restrictions despite rising cases ahead of holiday season

by: Jane Alvarez-Wertz, Kiahnna Patterson, Jackie DeFusco

Posted: Nov 10, 2020 / 07:18 AM MST

Updated: Nov 11, 2020 / 09:03 AM MST

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY/WRIC) — Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said coronavirus cases are rising in Virginia, but he is not planning on reinstating restrictions ahead of the holiday season.

The announcement comes on the same day Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced stricter guidelines in neighboring Maryland on indoor restaurant capacity, indoor gatherings and out-of-state travel.

Northam and the Virginia Emergency Support Team gave updates on the commonwealth’s ongoing response to COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon.

For weeks, Northam has been raising concerns about increasing cases in rural Southwest Virginia, where at least one local health official has called for a reversion in the phased reopening process.

Coronavirus Coverage on WAVY.com

On Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reported 1,435 new cases of coronavirus and 13 additional deaths.

Over the weekend, the commonwealth saw the highest number of new cases to date, with 2,100 reported Saturday.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) also reports more than 1,100 people are in the hospital or waiting on COVID-19 results. Yet, that number is not as high as what we saw at the beginning of the pandemic.

WAVY.com reported coronavirus cases are slowly rising across the state, which is concerning for state and hospital leaders. Meanwhile, the hospital system serving much of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is reporting its highest number of inpatient COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. The influx is prompting Ballad Health to hire additional nurses, realign resources and, in some cases, push back elective surgeries.

Despite this, Northam stopped short of imposing new restrictions in Southwest Virginia, saying at the end of his remarks that he “probably won’t” hold another press conference before Thanksgiving.

Instead, he detailed the launch of a new communications campaign designed to reinforce the basics of the state’s public health strategy: mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing. It also advises Southwest Virginia residents that if cases continue to climb ‘at an alarming rate,’ the region may not have the hospital beds to keep up.

While recent focus has been on Southwest Virginia, Northam emphasized on Tuesday that other areas cannot let their guard down. He noted that Central Virginia has also seen a “steady increase” in cases.

“Our message today is for every Virginian because we are one state, one commonwealth and no region is an island. We all need to step up our vigilance and precautions,” Northam said.

Especially going into the holiday season, Northam said Virginians should limit gatherings to small groups and wear masks. He said people should consider eating Thanksgiving dinner in a place with good ventilation or even outside if possible, since the virus spreads more easily indoors.

I know people are tired of #COVID19, but this virus is still with us and we can't afford to let our guard down now. Let's all continue doing our part to stay safe.

Wear a mask.
Wash your hands.
Avoid large gatherings.
Practice physical distancing.
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) November 5, 2020

“There is no genetic immunity that prevents you from giving this virus to your mother, to your grandfather or any other loved ones in the house with you,” Northam said. “I’m not saying don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but, if you’re planning to gather with people outside of your household, think about ways to do it more safely.”

Also on Tuesday, Northam said new contracts will allow the state to do 7,000 more PCR tests daily by the end of this year. Additionally, Northam’s administration is currently distributing shipments of rapid tests than can produce results in about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver said he expects a COVID-19 vaccine to be approved before 2020 comes to a close.

This comes amid big national news regarding a treatment and vaccine for the virus. Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of an experimental coronavirus therapy from Eli Lilly. It’s for mild to moderate cases of the virus. This announcement came hours after Pfizer released the first results of its large-scale vaccine trial. They show Pfizer’s vaccine appears to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection.

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says a second vaccine maker, Moderna, could have similar results soon.

“That is very, very encouraging but we should all remember that this isn’t the magic bullet,” Northam said.

Northam said that any approved vaccine would still take months to distribute. All the while, Oliver said some COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place.