Richmond, VA _ Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has announced that the number of coronavirus cases in the Commonwealth has climbed to 67, with 48 possible cases still pending and two deaths.
The Governor says Virginia will be following the federal guidelines regarding gatherings of 10 or more people, and people age 65 and older are being asked to self-quarantine. The Governor says he is working with legal counsel to determine how best to enforce the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. He says impacted businesses and workers who are impacted can contact the Virginia Employment Commission for information on how to apply for help.
Virginia's 75 Department of Motor Vehicles offices have been ordered closed to the public. They are urging anyone who needs to renew their license or vehicle registration to do so online if they are able to do so. For those whose licenses or registrations expire between the closings and May 15th, the state will grant a 60 day extension.
Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norm Oliver says among the 67 Covid-19 cases in the Commonwealth is a resident of a longterm care health facility which he calls concerning. He says it is the state's first case in a scaled nursing facility, and they are actively investigating the case.
Norman says of the 67 confirmed cases, 9 are in the central region, 18 in the eastern region, 38 in northern Virginia, 4 in the northeast, and there are still no cases in southwestern Virginia. He says while the majority of the non-travel related cases are cases that have been associated with other known cases, they are starting to observe cases with no known exposure to a case, which is what they classify as 'community spread'.
