VA Governor To Ease Social Gathering Sizes, Capacity Limits

VIRGINIA — Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday he plans to ease more COVID-19 restrictions starting on Saturday, May 15.

The changes affect social gathering sizes, entertainment venue capacity, recreational sports spectators, and alcohol sales. The statewide face mask mandate and social distancing requirements will continue.

Starting on May 15, the indoor social gathering limit will increase from 50 to 100 people, and the outdoor social gathering limit will increase from 100 to 250 people.

Indoor entertainment and public amusement venues will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity or 1,000 people, up from 30 percent capacity or 500 people. Outdoor venues will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity with no numeric cap on attendees. The current limit is 30 percent of capacity with no numeric attendee cap.

Indoor recreational sporting events will be allowed to have 250 spectators or 50 percent capacity — the lesser of the two. The current limit is 100 spectators. Outdoor recreational sporting events will be allowed to have 1,000 people or 50 percent of capacity — the lesser of the two. The current limit is 500 people outdoors.

Lastly, restaurants may begin selling alcohol after midnight, and dining rooms will not be required to be closed between midnight and 5 a.m. Currently, in-person alcohol sales must end at midnight, and dining rooms must be closed between midnight and 5 a.m. These restrictions do not impact delivery and takeout service.

Northam announced the changes amid increasing COVID-19 vaccinations. To date, over half of adults have received at least the first vaccine dose in Virginia, and an estimated 26.3 percent of all Virginians are fully vaccinated. All Virginians 16 and up are eligible to seek vaccine appointments through vaccinefinder.org.

On top of increasing vaccinations, Virginia's COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and percent positivity metrics are generally stable after declining in earlier months.

"It’s good news that half of all adults in Virginia have gotten a shot so far," said Northam in a statement. "Vaccination numbers are up, and our COVID-19 case numbers are substantially lower than they were earlier this year. So, we have been able to begin easing some mitigation measures. We took a few more targeted steps this week, and we will do more next month."

The governor also tweaked his COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday, allowing bar seating with six feet of physical distancing, as well as increased allowances for cross-country events and school-based drama performances.

Northam expressed optimism that he could ease restrictions further in June.

"We are working to significantly ramp up vaccinations even further and aim to reduce capacity limits in June, hopefully all the way," said the governor. "But some things need to continue—we all need to keep wearing masks, social distancing, and encouraging each other to get a shot. It’s how we take care of one another."

For more information, see the amended executive order and Forward Virginia guidelines.

See Also:

• COVID-19 Restrictions Change With VA Governor's New Order
• Exclusive: 29 Arlington Eateries Violated COVID-19 Restrictions