Reopening Virginia
Get safely back to business using checklists based on Virginia’s reopening guidelines
Published August 3rd, 2020
Reopening Virginia in the Time of COVID-19
Reopening Virginia from a statewide “Stay at Home” order is a massive effort being led by Gov. Ralph Northam together with over 8 million Virginians. While most of Virginia remains in Phase 1 of their reopening guidelines, Forward Virginia, some counties will enter into Phase 2, where indoor fitness and exercise facilities and outdoor entertainment and public amusement venues can operate at a certain capacity and recreational sports is allowed under certain conditions.
This article will briefly answer the following questions:
- What are Virginia’s reopening guidelines?
- What is the Virginia reopening phases?
- Why are reopening checks important for Virginia-based businesses?
- What checklists can be used to reopen Virginia safely?
Virginia Reopening Guidelines: Forward Virginia
“Forward Virginia” is the Commonwealth’s plan to reopen their economy, easing certain temporary business restrictions due to COVID-19. In building the need to adhere to reopening guidelines, Gov. Northam said, “We cannot race back to the lives we led before the pandemic. The path forward will not be business as usual.” Forward Virginia Phase One Guidelines generally look like:
- Safer at home—especially if more vulnerable
- No social gatherings of more than 10 individuals
- Continued physical distancing
- Continued teleworking or working from home
- Face coverings recommended in public
Virginia Reopening Phases
While the Northern Virginia Region and the city of Richmond remain in Phase 1 of reopening, most of Virginia will move into Phase 2 of reopening on June 4. To have a clearer picture of the difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of reopening Virginia, refer to the table below:
Reopening Virginia: From Phase 1 to Phase 2 | ||
Phase One | Phase Two | |
Social Gatherings | 10-person limit implementing best practices | 50% capacity of the venue or 50-person limit (whichever is less) implementing best practices |
Restaurant and Beverage Services | Takeout and Delivery | |
50% capacity (outdoor seating only) implementing mandatory Phase 1 reopening guidelines | 50% capacity (indoor and outdoor seating) implementing mandatory Phase 2 reopening guidelines | |
Personal Care and Grooming Services | By appointment only with strict physical distancing and required face coverings | 50% capacity implementing mandatory Phase 2 reopening guidelines and best practices |
Fitness and Exercise Facilities | Outdoor fitness classes only | 30% indoor capacity implementing mandatory Phase 2 reopening guidelines and best practices |
Recreational Sports | Prohibited | 50-person limit for participants and spectators or 50% capacity of the outdoor venue and 30% capacity of the indoor venue (whichever is less) implementing mandatory Phase 2 reopening guidelines and best practices Incidental contact between family members is allowed, but close contact with other athletes is prohibited. |
Campgrounds and Overnight Summer Camps | Closed | 50-person limit implementing mandatory Phase 2 reopening guidelines and best practices |
Entertainment and Public Amusement Venues | Closed | 50-person limit or 50% capacity (whichever is less) of outdoor movie theaters, performing arts, concert, and sports venues, museums, botanical gardens, aquariums, zoos, and public and private social clubs implementing mandatory Phase 2 reopening guidelines and best practices |
Places of Worship | 50% indoor capacity implementing mandatory guidelines and best practices | |
Reopening Virginia Safely Through Self-assessments
Restrictions or policies are being modified according to the number of cases per county. Whatever phase a region, county, or city is currently in, all business sectors should adhere to Virginia’s reopening guidelines. COVID-19 risk assessments or phase-specific reopening readiness assessments with round-the-clock health and safety inspections can help Virginian employers reopen strong and safely continue business operations amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Elements of Virginia Reopening Checklists
A Virginia reopening checklist is a tool based on Forward Virginia’s mandatory requirements, best practices, and additional considerations to safely reopen businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. It aims to encourage Virginians to keep practicing personal hygiene and physical distancing when at work, slowing the spread of coronavirus and lowering transmission rates in the workplace. Virginia reopening checklists for all businesses usually includes:
- Physical Distancing Best Practices
- Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfection Best Practices
- Enhanced Workplace Safety Best Practices
To make it easier for Virginians to get safely back to business and continue safe operations amidst a global pandemic, we’ve surfaced these statewide guidelines-based reopening checklists you can download for free and use with iAuditor by SafetyCulture.
Disclaimer: Please note that these checklists are hypothetical examples and provide basic information only. They are not intended to take the place of medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should also seek professional advice to determine if the use of such checklists are permissible in your workplace or jurisdiction.
Reopening Virginia: Download Free Checklists
Reopening Virginia: Checklist for All Business Sectors
A Virginia reopening checklist is a tool specifically used by Virginian employers to easily follow the Commonwealth’s reopening guidelines, implement best practices, and scale reopening efforts across business operations. Use this checklist with iAuditor’s collaborative actions to address flagged items such as lack of established policies and practices for physical distancing between co-workers and between members of the public, assign actions with a priority level and due date, and manage business reopening risks more effectively.
Reopening Virginia: Checklist for Restaurants and Beverage Services
This checklist is based on Virginia reopening guidelines and is created to help Virginia-based restaurants, dining establishments, food courts, food trucks, breweries, cideries, distilleries, wineries, and tasting rooms implement mandatory requirements such as not seating parties of more than 10 patrons, using single-use disposable menus to be discarded after each customer, and more. Use iAuditor’s drag-and-drop template editor to customize this checklist with restaurant-specific requirements, fulfill other food and beverage services needs, and reopen strong.
Reopening Virginia: Checklist for Fitness and Exercise Facilities
This COVID-19 prevention checklist is designed for Virginia-based gymnasiums, recreation centers, swimming pools, indoor sports facilities, and indoor exercise facilities to offer limited outdoor fitness and exercise operations as long as mandatory requirements for fitness and exercise facilities are followed. Use this checklist to automatically generate a comprehensive report with photo evidence, share with key stakeholders such as investors, clients, or personnel, and secure inspection results in the cloud which can be easily accessed by authorized people anytime, anywhere.
Reopening Virginia: Checklist for Personal Care and Grooming Services
This reopening checklist is a tool used for Virginia-based beauty salons, barbershops, spas, massage centers, tanning salons, tattoo shops, and any other location where personal care or personal grooming services can be performed to implement mandatory requirements such as employees and service providers working in customer-facing areas are required to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth, and more or they should remain closed. Use this checklist to practice the importance of maintaining physical distancing of at least six feet within the waiting area, washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after each service is performed, and when gloves are worn, changing gloves after each client’s service, among others.
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