Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam recently extended the ban of gatherings of more than 10 people — and the closure of entertainment, recreation and personal care businesses – through at least May 8. The stay-at-home order for residents continues through June 10.
We asked Alexandria residents in a poll whether they thought the May 8 date was too early, just about right, too soon or if state officials needed more information before deciding when to reopen businesses.
In some areas of Virginia and across the country, protestors are gathering at state capitols and other places in an effort to get their states to re-open for business now, arguing that the economic damage caused by coronavirus is worse than the illness itself.
Northam said last week that our hospitals can handle the current volume of cases and pace of new cases, “but if we let off the brakes and let things to go back to the way they were, we’ll see another spike in cases that could overwhelm our hospitals.”
Is Reopening on May 8 the Right Call?
According to our unscientific online poll, just 12% of respondents said business should be allowed to reopen earlier than May 8.
One person commented, "One size does not fit all! Distancing techniques can be made for most businesses. I do not agree with government control of what American's can and cannot do."
Another wrote, "This town has been hit very hard economically and if closures continue many may have to close. Additionally, our COVID numbers are not terribly high. Get this city opened back up."
About 20% of respondents said May 8 is too soon, and 24% said May 8 is "about right" for businesses to reopen.
"I chose May 8th because it is only an additional 2 weeks away," one person wrote. "Grocery stores I have been shopping since 'non-essential' businesses have been closed recently started enforcing physical distance policies. The public should be getting accustomed to this practice. Most businesses do not require employees and customers to be in close proximity to each other except when paying for goods or services. We should focus on safe practices such as maintaining a safe physical distance, wearing facial coverings, and personal hygiene."
The highest percentage of respondents — about 40% — said state officials should reassess the situation in early May before deciding whether businesses can reopen.
"I would love to reopen businesses. But I think we need mask and gloves available to the public. More testing and faster results. And we need to protect at risk individuals who can’t reenter society. They don’t deserve to loose their jobs, homes, etc because they have a preexisting illness," one person wrote on ALM's Facebook page.
Another person wrote on the survey, "I'm listening to the doctors and scientists. If we open too soon, we'll go back to square one. Until we can develop a simple test that people can take to enter any establishment, we're all in danger of getting sick or, worse, taking the infection to someone else."
Northern Virginia a 'Hot Spot'
The United States, including Virginia, does not have enough tests for every person — and there is evidence that a lot of people could be infected with the virus and be asymptomatic.
The highest concentration of cases in Virginia are the most densely populated areas — specifically in Northern Virginia and near Richmond.
As of April 18, the City of Alexandria started to count cases that were symptomatic and diagnosed by a doctor, but not tested. Including these probable cases, by the end of Thursday, (April 23) there were more than 500 cases and 14 fatalities in the City of Alexandria.
In Fairfax County, there were 2,306 cases as of Wednesday, including 68 fatalities.
Across Virginia, there are 10,266 cases and 349 fatalities — a fatality rate of about 3.4 percent of known cases in the commonwealth. About 16.4 percent of cases result in a hospitalization.
Fairfax County recently released information aimed at people who are living in apartment buildings and condo buildings, where shared spaces are common. Fairfax County recommends not taking elevators with people who you don't live with and limiting use of common areas. Building managers should significantly increase cleaning, as well. More information is available here.
