The Shadow
RICHMOND — Gov. Ralph Northam said COVID-19 trends are heading in the right direction as his administration considers moving Virginia to the next phase of his plans for reopening the state.
“So far, Virginia is not seeing another spike in our cases. In fact, our metrics continue to trend downward,” the governor said during a Thursday press briefing.
Northam said the percentage of Virginians testing positive for the virus is now at 8.9 percent. During the pandemic’s peak, 20 percent of tests were coming back positive.
“We feel good about the way things are going, but this virus is still with us and we need to behave cautiously,” Northam said in urging Virginians to wear face coverings in public and maintain social distancing.
Earlier this week, health officials said cases in the Roanoke City and Alleghnay Health Districts have been steadily increasing in recent weeks. That’s because the pandemic hit western Virginia after other regions were already experiencing cases.
Virginia entered Phase II of Northam’s reopening plan on June 5. Phase II will stay in effect for a minimum of two weeks — meaning the state could conceivably enter Phase III June 19.
Northam said he may have more information Tuesday about moving to Phase III.
“The trends are very favorable,” he said.
Protests
Northam discussed recent actions by protesters to topple and deface Confederate and other monuments throughout the state.
Wednesday night, a protester in Portsmouth suffered a severe head injury after being struck by a falling statue.
Northam urged protesters to leave the removal of statues to local governments for safety reasons.
“I know these statues are causing a lot of pain but pulling them down is not worth risking someone’s life … let’s do this the right way and keep all Virginians safe,” Northam said.
The governor also expressed concerns about seeing large groups of protesters gather without maintaining social distancing or wearing face coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I?strongly encourage protesters to wear face covering and maintain social distances. This virus is still with us,” he said. “It’s not smart to act like the virus has been eradicated, because it has not.”
Northam said he does not support calls to “defund police” in the wake of civil unrest that has gripped the nation since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn. Floyd was in police custody when he died. Four officers are facing charges related to his death.
“I certainly don’t support that,” Northam said of calls to defund police. “Our police officers provide a much needed resource to our communities.”
Northam, however, said he does support reprioritizing the way money is spent by police agencies.
The governor said more police body cameras are needed in Virginia, but he knows that some police departments can’t afford them.
State Finances
As a result of the COVID-19 shutdown, Virginia general fund revenues declined 20.6 percent in May compared to the previous year, but the numbers were slightly better than expected, Northam said.
Secretary of Finance Aubrey Lane said the individual tax due date was pushed back to June 1.
Northam will call the General Assembly into session in August to deal with budget issues.
Higher Education
Northam announced that public and private college campuses can begin to offer in-person classes and reopen campuses, but they must follow health department guidelines and develop plans that address the safety of their students, faculty and staff.
Campuses will have to meet certain conditions, including making sure local hospital surge capacity is available and adhere “to sound public health principles,” including disinfecting measures and other mitigation strategies.
Schools have until July 6 to submit their plans to the State Council of Higher Education.
