Administration Coronavirus Events National 

Limited Capacity Increases for Gatherings and Some Entertainment Venues Take Effect April 1

K. Alston , , ,
During a press conference yesterday, Governor Ralph Northam announced that, as COVID-19 vaccinations continue to rise in Virginia, certain sports and entertainment venues may begin to operate with additional capacity and indoor and outdoor gathering limits will increase starting Thursday, April 1. He amended Executive Order Seventy-Two with the next steps of the “Forward Virginia” plan to safely and gradually ease public health restrictions while mitigating the spread of the virus. The Commonwealth will maintain a Safer at Home model, with continued mitigation strategies such as physical distancing, teleworking, and universal mask requirements. Key changes include: Social gatherings: The maximum number of individuals permitted in a social gathering will increase to 50 people for indoor settings and 100 people for outdoor settings. Social gatherings are currently limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.Entertainment venues: All indoor and outdoor entertainment and public amusement venues must continue to operate at 30% capacity. Indoor venues must operate at 30% capacity or with a maximum of 500 people, an increase from the current cap of 250 people. Outdoor venues must operate at 30% capacity, with no specific cap on the number of attendees. These venues were previously limited to 30% capacity or up to 1,000 attendees, whichever was fewer.Recreational sporting events: The number of spectators allowed at recreational sporting events will increase from 25 to 100 people per field or 30% capacity, whichever is less for indoor settings, and from 250 to 500 people per field or 30% capacity, whichever is less for outdoor settings.In-person graduation and commencement events: Last week, Governor Northam issued preliminary guidance on safe in-person graduations and commencements, which included a cap of 5,000 people or 30% of the venue capacity for outdoor events, whichever is less. Events held indoors may have up to 500 people, or 30% of the venue capacity, whichever is less. Attendees must wear masks and follow other guidelines and safety protocols to ensure proper distancing. While some capacity limits will increase on April 1, we must all remember to stay vigilant and work together to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities. Visit www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/forwardvirginia for more information and answers to frequently asked questions. More than two million Virginians, or approximately one in four people, have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Residents are strongly encouraged to make sure they are pre-registered at vaccinate.virginia.gov, or by calling 877-829-4682 (877-VAX-IN-VA), to ensure that the Virginia Department of Health has all the relevant information to reach out when individuals are eligible to schedule vaccination appointments.  
NOTE: Newport News City Council has resumed in-person meetings. Self-Storage Facility ApprovedLast night, City Council approved a conditional use permit and rezoning to allow for the operation of an interior self-storage facility at 9707 and 9711 Jefferson Avenue, across from Police Headquarters. A used car dealership is currently located on the site and will be replaced with a 95,000 square-foot, 3-story interior self-storage facility, designed to appear as a two-story contemporary masonry structure, with extensive landscaping. Approval to Acquire Property for Water Storage Facility City Council has authorized the City Manager to make offers to purchase 2,550 square feet of land adjacent to property owned by the city at 5601 Rochambeau Drive in York County for $3,300. Waterworks operates a water storage facility at the site, but the existing storage tank at the facility is inadequate to fully provide water service to future development in the area. The property to be acquired is currently owned by the Williamsburg Pottery Factory and will be for the purpose of adding an elevated storage tank in order to ensure additional water capacity in fulfillment of the project.  AppropriationsPeninsula Regional Animal Shelter ($30,000) – These grant funds from the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies are in support of the continuation of the shelter’s foster care program. The Foster Coordinator position was originally funded through a grant from the Petco Foundation, and these new funds will help the shelter continue the fostering program to develop a comprehensive network of trained volunteers for animals that need extra care, support and attention before being able to be adopted.  Youth Programs ($46,575) – The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism’s Youth Programs has been awarded a $46,575 grant from Smart Beginnings Virginia Peninsula to provide teacher bonuses to childcare workers who have served and cared for the children in those licensed childcare programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Childcare workers were not considered eligible for hazard pay from CARES Act money.16th Street, Jefferson to Marshall ($2,412,500) – From the Streets and Bridges Category of the CIP bond authorization, these funds are for the Complete Streets on 16th Street project – Jefferson Avenue to Marshall Avenue Project. The project provides for the alteration of the existing street design on 16th Street from Jefferson Avenue to Marshall Avenue to accommodate transportation improvements for all uses including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. This project will also convert the existing traffic signal at 16th Street and Ivy Avenue to a mast arm traffic signal. This project is partially funded through the State Revenue Share Program.Reallocation of funds ($2,600,000) – These estimated surplus funds from the recently completed Atkinson Boulevard Project were reallocated to the Newport News Transportation Center Project ($1,300,000) and the Complete Streets on 16th Street project ($1,300,000).  On-demand viewing of last night’s entire City Council meeting is available at www.nnva.gov/nntv. Next Regular Meeting is 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 13. Seating is limited at in-person meetings to allow for social distancing. Council meetings are shown live on NNTV (Cox 48/Verizon 19) and streamed online at www.nnva.gov/nntv and on NNTV’s Facebook page. View full meeting agendas, watch past meetings and more on the city’s Public Meetings Portal.