The governor of Virginia issued a slate of coronavirus restrictions for his state on Thursday.
The executive order from Gov. Ralph Northam includes, among other rules, a curfew and will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday and remain in place until Jan. 31.
Under the restrictions, a curfew, or stay-at-home order, will be in place between midnight and 5 a.m., with exceptions for those traveling for work, seeking medical attention, or trying to get food or goods. Administration officials told the Washington Post that the governor purposefully did not include an enforcement mechanism for the curfew and that police will not be stopping people during those hours.
“You should stay at home whenever you can during the rest of the day, but from midnight to 5 a.m., you need to stay home,” the governor said during a press conference. “If you don’t need to go out, go home. This is just plain common sense.”
Social gatherings must be limited to 10 people, down from the previous 25. Religious, employment, and educational settings will not be included in this restriction, though the governor is encouraging church leaders to hold services outside and online.
“This year, we need to think about what is truly the most important thing. Is it worship or the building?” Northam said during a briefing. “For me, God is wherever you are. You don’t need to sit in the church pews for God to hear your prayers.”
“Worship with a mask on is still worship,” he added.
A universal mask requirement will also be implemented. Virginians were already required to wear masks in indoor and outdoor public spaces. Masks will be required in private spaces, as well.
“New daily case numbers are higher than they have been at any previous point in the pandemic, and while the trends in Virginia are better than most of the country, we are taking action now to slow the spread of this virus before our hospitals get overwhelmed,” Northam said in a statement. “We already have strong public health measures in place, and with these additional steps, we can turn this around. Virginians, if you don’t have to be out, stay at home. Whenever we are around other people, we all need to wear a mask, indoors and out.”
