Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday said he would likely extend stay-at-home orders in the northern part of the state because the number of cases in the region remains high, reports The Washington Post.
"We feel that we're in a place where we can safely go into phase one in most areas of Virginia — obviously Northern Virginia is the exception," Northam said. "The metrics look a bit different in Northern Virginia than they do in the rest of the state."
Almost 75% of the nearly new 1,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in Virginia were clustered in the D.C. suburbs.
A similar scene has played out in Maryland, where confirmed cases are also concentrated in the D.C. suburbs.
America's reopening has begun, with more than half of the states loosening restrictions on businesses and social activities. The District of Columbia has a stay-at-home order set to expire May 15.
D.C. Mayor Muriel on Monday reported 117 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of cases to 6,389. More than 328 have died due to the virus, including five Monday.
Northam also urged people from Northern Virginia to avoid traveling.
Northam said Virginia has been working closely with D.C. and Maryland.
"That whole area is so dense, they're all kind of sharing the same challenges that we are," he said. "A lot of that went into the decision-making."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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