LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — Demonstrators gathered outside the Loudoun County Government Center in Leesburg Friday calling for an end to coronavirus restrictions.
People stood on sidewalks without masks and holding signs that said, "Fear is the virus," and "Masks are symbolic" for about three hours.
All of Virginia entered Phase 3 of the commonwealth's reopening plan on Wednesday, July 1.
Here's what Phase 3 looks like in Virginia:
- Social gatherings up to 250 people are allowed
- No limits on the capacity for restaurants and non-essential retail.
- Social distancing is still be required in those indoor dining spaces
- Child care facilities allowed to open.
- Gyms and pools allowed to open up at 75% capacity,
- Personal grooming areas like salons would reopen with mandatory social distancing in place.
- Other businesses like entertainment venues and zoos would be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity with a maximum allowance of 1,000 people
- Overnight summer camps would remain closed
At last report, Virginia had about 64,000 coronavirus cases, with Loudoun accounting for roughly 4,000 of those.
Virginia’s seven-day moving average for new cases is now up 10% from its lowest point on June 21. Over the past week the commonwealth has average 546 new cases a day.
As of Friday, Virginia’s daily deaths from the coronavirus have now been on an upward trend for 9 days.