ROANOKE, Va. – Friday marks a big day in the commonwealth as Phase Two of reopening will officially be underway.
The governor’s office released a 41-page document outlining Phase Two guidelines. All businesses have to follow mandatory requirements and best practices regarding safety, disease prevention, wearing masks, physical distancing, cleaning and disinfecting.
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We already took a close look at what will remain closed as of Friday.
Here’s a look a what can reopen on Friday:
Restaurants, breweries, food trucks, other food and beverage services
- Can reopen and offer indoor seating at no more than 50% occupancy.
- Parties at tables have to be placed six feet apart from other parties. Each party can’t exceed 50 people.
- Non-bar seating in a bar area can be used for customer seating.
- Live musicians are allowed, but must also keep a six-foot distance from staff and customers.
Farmers markets
- Can reopen and now offer onsite shopping, as long as they practice physical distancing and other guidelines.
All non-essential brick and mortar retail
- Can reopen while limiting occupancy to no more than 50%.
- Retailers must assist customers in keeping six feet of space from others by marking spots in checkout lines.
- Fitting rooms must stay closed.
Gyms, fitness centers, recreation centers
- Can reopen with no more than 30% occupancy. Regardless of occupancy, group exercise classes can’t exceed 50 people.
- Must keep ten feet of physical distance between people as much as possible, including separating exercise equipment and machines to keep people ten feet apart.
- Must screen people for COVID-19 symptoms prior to entering facility, including fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher).
- Facilities can’t use equipment that can’t be properly disinfected between uses, like exercise bands or climbing rope.
- Equipment can only be shared between people from the same household. (For example, a spotter for someone lifting weights would have to be from the same household.)
- Hot tubs, spas, saunas, splash pads, spray pools and interactive play features will still be closed.
Indoor and outdoor pools
- Can reopen for lap swimming, diving, exercise and instruction only.
- All activities, like lap swimming, diving and swim classes, must be limited to allow ten feet of separation between people.
- Seating on pool decks can reopen with ten feet of separation between people from different households.
- Must screen people for COVID-19 symptoms prior to entering facility, including fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher).
- Hot tubs, spas, saunas, splash pads, spray pools and interactive play features will still be closed.
Indoor and outdoor recreational sports
- Can reopen if participants, coaches and spectators can keep ten feet of separation at all times, with the exception of incidental contact or contact between members of the same household.
- Close contact competition must still be avoided.
- For outdoor sports, the total number of attendees, including participants and spectators, can’t exceed 50% occupancy, or 50 people, whichever is lower.
- For indoor sports, the total number of attendees, including participants and spectators, can’t exceed 30% occupancy, or 50 people, whichever is lower.
- Conduct daily screenings of coaches, players, officials and staff for COVID-19 symptoms.
Outdoor performing arts and concert venues, outdoor sports venues, drive-in entertainment, museums, zoos, aquariums
- Can reopen with plan to practice physical distancing and create guest flow that avoids congestion and bottlenecks.
- Must keep people separated by six feet by rearranging seating areas, installing markers, creating signs and/or airing audio and video announcements.
- In addition to the guidance above, there are additional mandatory requirements based specifically on each type of entertainment venue or business. Read in further detail here.
Private campgrounds
- Can reopen with 20 feet of distance between units that are rented for less than 14 nights.
- No gathering of more than 50 people in one location.
Religious services
- Can remain open with no more than 50% occupancy.
- Members of the same household can sit together, separated by other household groups by at least six feet. Items can’t be passed between household groups.
Beauty salons, barber shops, spas, tattoo shops, other personal care businesses
- Can continue to stay open at 50% occupancy with six feet between work stations.
- Should continue to provide service by appointment only.
- Employees and clients should continue to both wear masks. Limit services to those that can be done while the client keeps a face covering on.
- Keep a list of names and contact information for all clients, including the date and time services were received.