Virginia Beach will open Friday

Virginia Beach will reopen Friday, May 22, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced during a coronavirus briefing today. 

Recreational activities – including sunbathing, swimming, and fishing – will be allowed, although beach goers are urged to maintain social distancing. 

No group sports, alcohol, tents, speakers, or groupings of umbrellas will be allowed, Northam said. Parking garages and surface lots will be limited to 50 percent capacity. 

Northam called the rules in place for Virginia Beach “a short-term inconvenience for long-term gain.” COVID cases and deaths are still increasing in the state. 

Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer applauded the reopening, noting “beaches offer important mental health benefits.”  

Dyer is establishing an ambassador program, with about 150 people assigned to tell beach goers about the rules and urge them to maintain physical distance. Currently, Virginia Beach is restricted to exercise and fishing.

The reopening applies only to Virginia Beach and First Landing State Park, not to other beaches in the state.  

(Ocean City, Md., opened May 15, and Rehoboth Beach, Del., opened also on May 15 but only for in-state residents and out-of-state residents who have quarantined for at least 14 days.) 

Northam said he appointed a team of education leaders representing all levels, pre-K-higher education, to develop recommendations on what’s possible in terms of reopening schools in the fall. 

Northam also said his office and the state’s housing authority created a new website, StayHomeVirginia.com, with information and resources on housing issues related to COVID for renters, homeowners, and landlords. 

The General Assembly had approved a 60-day deferral of evictions if tenants have a hardship due to COVID. There’s also a three-month deferral for mortgage payments, which must be passed on to tenants.