New COVID restrictions take effect in Va. including curfew from midnight to 5 a.m.
On Monday, new COVID-19 restrictions went into effect in Virginia, including a curfew that with exceptions requires people to stay home between midnight and 5 a.m. (ABC7 file photo)
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — On Monday, new COVID-19 restrictions went into effect in Virginia, including a curfew that with exceptions requires people to stay home between midnight and 5 a.m.
Governor Ralph Northam is also expanding the number of situations in which masks are required and further limiting social gatherings.
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The exceptions to the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew include traveling to buy food or "goods," traveling to or from work, and seeking medical attention.
Northam also expanded Virginia's mask mandate. In addition to previous indoor restrictions, it now requires people in Virginia to wear masks outdoors when they are within six feet of someone else. The requirement applies to everyone five years old and over.
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As of Monday, Northam also dropped the social gathering limit in the state from 25 down to 10 people. The 10-person limit applies both indoors and outdoors, but there are a number of exceptions, including religious services, work settings, schools, and restaurant and retail stores, all of which are following different restrictions.
Also on Monday, Fairfax County Public Schools returned more than 4,000 students who had been doing in-person classes to all-virtual instruction.
The students who are back to all-virtual are in what is called "Group 3," which is largely made up of special education students and English language learners.
Other students in what are known as Groups 1 and 2 - about 1,340 students in all - will continue with in-person classes. Those groups are made up of students in career prep programs and also preschoolers with autism.
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FCPS said in a message to affected families that it was making the move because of COVID numbers.
For Group 3 to remain in-person, the positivity rate must not exceed 10 percent," the message said. As of Saturday, December 12, we have reached seven consecutive days in which the percent positivity exceeded our 10 percent threshold. As a result, Group 3 is returning to virtual instruction.
We know this is a disappointment to our families. Our goal is to return students to in-person learning soon after winter break. We understand that in-person learning is the best option for most students. We will be sharing more information on these plans in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Loudoun County will return all students to all-virtual instruction Tuesday because of rising COVID numbers there.
