Va. Issuing Mask Requirement Ahead of NoVa Re-Open

Dear WANADA Members,

This afternoon, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he will be issuing a statewide face mask ordinance, which will require patrons of indoor businesses, public transit riders, and those accessing state and local government services to wear a face covering at all times, with limited exceptions. 

We encourage you to enforce a face covering requirement inside your businesses, whether there is a legal mandate or not. This mandate will go into force on Friday morning and we encourage you to publish signage at your business as soon as possible. Gov. Northam said the Virginia Department of Health will be responsible for enforcing this mandate statewide.

Gov. Northam had already implemented a mask requirement for employers, under Executive Order 61, which activated the "phase one" reopening process for much of the commonwealth, outside of Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Accomack County on the Eastern Shore. That order is also being enforced by the Virginia DOH, as opposed to State Police or local law enforcement, though DOH is empowered to shutter non-compliant businesses. 

This order extends that requirement to the general public, except when exercising, eating at a restaurant, or if a person is under the age of 10 or has a medical condition that would make mask-wearing inadvisable.

Also, over the weekend, government leaders in Northern Virginia, along with Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, told Gov. Northam that they are ready to move into "phase one" of the Forward Virginia plan. The governor said he would be providing additional details about the rollout on Wednesday, but under the phase one in effect in the rest of the state, businesses may operate at up to 50 percent of their lowest published capacity, so long as they are able to maintain a six-foot distance between all employees and patrons at all times.

Please review the commonwealth's requirements and recommendations for brick-and-mortar retailers under phase one. Please continue documenting your efforts to stringently comply with the mandates and recommendations related to social distancing, workplace safety, and patron capacity.

As always, you can contact me or Joe Koch ( jk@wanada.org) at any time if you have questions. And please feel free to refer to the WANADA COVID-19 Information Library as a repository of information related to safely operating your business during this time.

Sincerely,
  
John O'Donnell
WANADA President and CEO