Governor issues executive order for Hampton Roads area; percentage of positive COVID-19 cases down statewide

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - The Virginia Department of Health is reporting 86,994 total cases of coronavirus in the commonwealth as of Tuesday morning. That’s up from 86,072 reported Monday, a 922-case increase.

3,262 of the overall cases are considered “probable.”

At a Tuesday afternoon briefing, Governor Northam said Virginia is on the right track when it comes to coronavirus, as we are not seeing the kind of spikes seen in many other states, and an overwhelming number of people positively diagnosed have recovered, including in nursing homes. He said numbers are stable in four of the state’s five districts, with the Hampton Roads and Peninsula region seeing higher numbers than elsewhere. That’s why he has issued an executive order for the Hampton Roads area specifically, beginning midnight Friday, July 31.

At that time, no alcohol in the Hampton Roads area will be allowed to be sold after 10 p.m. and restaurants must close at midnight while also allowing only 50-percent capacity. Also, public and private social gatherings above 50 people will be prohibited.

For the whole commonwealth, he continues to recommend social distancing, wearing of masks and staying home if people don’t have to go out.

For people growing tired of circumstances surrounding the virus, Northam said, “Listen and hear this; be not afraid, do not let yourself grow weary.”

For naysayers about the virus, he said, “We’ve lost 2,000-plus Virginians to COVID-19. if you don’t think it’s real, talk to the families of those who have died. Talk to the doctors and frontline workers, and hear their stories. Listen to people who have been on the ventilator and recovered.”

Click here for all the numbers and breakdowns.

There are 2,095 recorded coronavirus-related deaths in the commonwealth, up from 2,082 reported Monday. 1,056,148 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests have been conducted, with a 7.3 percent positive rate over the last week, down from the 7.5 percent reported the last three days.

1,294 people across Virginia are hospitalized as of Tuesday, with confirmed or test-pending cases of COVID-19. 11,550 COVID patients have been released from hospitals in Virginia since the beginning of the pandemic. That’s according to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, which gets a daily report from hospitals around the commonwealth.

These hospital numbers are different from those reported by VDH, which only gathers hospitalization status at the time each case is investigated by VDH, and is an underrepresentation of Virginia hospitalizations.

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus

Any new confirmed cases from health departments throughout the state the rest of the day won’t show up until at least the following day on the state list, as the official numbers are only updated once a day, with a 5 p.m. cutoff each day for new cases to be reflected on the next day’s list.

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