Virginia Records the Highest Report of New COVID-19 Cases, One Day Before the State Reopens

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood. We’ve got a roundup of Virginia news coming right up. 

But First…

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, nurses have been working harder than ever to ensure the safety of the public. And that hard work has not gone unappreciated. Here’s how these Virginia hospitals are showing appreciation to their nurses. — Dogwood

Five Things You Need to Know Today

1. Virginia Gains Over One Thousand Cases of COVID-19 in 24 Hours– There are currently 1,067 new cases of the coronavirus in Virginia, bringing the total number of reported cases to 27,813. This is the highest number of cases the state as seen in one day so far. Over 3,500 people have been hospitalized and 955 people have died due to the virus. In total, 185,551 people have been tested for COVID-19 across the commonwealth. Virginia is set to begin reopening tomorrow. — Dogwood
   
   
2. Culpeper County Sheriff Refuses to Enforce Stay-at-Home Order, But County Has High Cases Per Capita- A Culpeper County sheriff refuses to enforce Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order, even though the county more cases per capita than several northern Virginia counties, including Fairfax. Culpeper has an infection rate of .63%, while Fairfax county, with almost 7,000 cases, has an infection rate of .61%. —Dogwood
   
   
3. Virginia Receives an “F” in Social Distancing, New Data Shows- With only one day before the state is set to begin Phase One in reopening, data reveals that Virginia has failed at social distancing. The company Unacast compares location data to previous data collected pre-pandemic. Reportedly, the commonwealth had received an “F” in terms of social distancing. — WRIC
   
   
4. Mayor Levar Stoney Seeks to Delay Phase One in Richmond, Asks For Proof of COVID Decline- As Phase One of the governor’s reopen plan goes into effect on Friday, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney wants proof that Virginia’s coronavirus cases are actually declining. If proof isn’t provided, he will formally ask that Richmond be exempt from the reopening. Earlier in the week, city officials asked for data from the state health department but reportedly have not received it. — Richmond Times-Dispatch
   
   
5. Publix Suspended Senior Hours and Expanding Store Hours as the State Begins to Reopen- Publix has announced that they will be expanding its store hours starting this weekend. Starting on May 16, Publix will be operating from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.  The company also announced that it’s suspending the reserved senior shopping hours. “We encourage you to shop during the first hour of the day when we can better accommodate that need,” said the company. — WAVY 10