Gov. Northam denies Richmond’s request to keep churches, salons closed

RICHMOND, Va. – On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam rejected a request from Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to mandate that the city’s churches, barber shops and hair salons stay closed when the city begins its gradual reopening Friday.

The governor previously allowed Richmond, northern Virginia and Accomack County on the Eastern Shore to delay reopening with the rest of the state.

Northam said in a letter sent Tuesday afternoon that the state’s guidelines for Richmond’s reopening should “operate under the same provisions that will apply to all 138 Virginia localities.”