Coronavirus person wearing a mask

Governor Northam Announces New Statewide Measures to Contain COVID-19

On December 10, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam announced a new executive order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia. The executive order that will take effect on Monday, December 14, 2020 includes an expanded mask mandate and lowers the number of people allowed in social gatherings.

A “modified stay-at-home order,” will require residents to stay home between midnight and 5 a.m. Exceptions will be made for people who are traveling for work, seeking medical attention and certain food items. The Governor did not include an enforcement mechanism to the modified stay-at-home order, which is mostly intended to encourage, rather than force.