Tomorrow is Election Day For Over 100 Virginia Cities

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

But First…

Tomorrow is election day for over a hundred cities in Virginia. And to make sure voters are able to perform their civic duty safely, Gov. Ralph Northam has introduced multiple precautions to keep exposure to COVID-19 to a minimum. — Dogwood 

Five Things You Need to Know Today

1. Virginia’s Coronavirus Cases Rise to Over 31,000- Virginia currently has 31,140 reported coronavirus cases, according to data from the Virginia Department Health. This is an increase of 752 cases since Sunday and 2,468 cases since last Friday.  Last Friday also marks the day that most of the state began Phase One in Gov. Ralph Northam’s three-step plan to reopen the state. — Dogwood
   
   
2. Northam Reopens the Beaches of Virginia Beach, but No Others- Gov. Northam announced this afternoon that the beaches in Virginia Beach will reopen for recreational activity ahead of memorial day. However, no other city’s beaches are allowed to follow suit. There will be restrictions put in place at open beaches including, no playing group sports, listening to music with speakers or drinking alcohol. —  Dogwood
   
   
3. Prince William County Holds Two Days of COVID-19 Testing- Starting on Monday, Prince William County will be holding two days of county-wide coronavirus testing. Between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., a testing site at Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge will be holding testing for both drive-through and walk-up on Monday. On Tuesday, testing will be held at Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas at the same time. — WTOP
   
   
4. Several Virginia Courts are Beginning to Return to Normal- While jury trials are still on hold, several Virginia courts are beginning to return to business as usual. An order was issued last week by the state’s Supreme Court that approved lower courts to resume certain in person, non-emergency hearings, provided they work to minimize spreading the coronavirus. —  the Virginian Pilot
   
   
5. Many Virginia Churches Plan to Keep Their Doors Closed Under Phase One- As most of Virginia eases into Phase One of Northam’s reopening plan, many Virginia churches plan to remain empty. According to the Roanoke Times, several mainline denominations have told members to wait before hosting in-person services. The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia plans to livestream from inside the church on May 24. — WJLA