MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – In response to a substitute shortage tied to COVID-19 cases, the Montgomery County School Board made the decision to move a portion of students to remote learning. Students in grades 7-12 will switch to virtual instruction starting Monday, Dec. 21, until Thursday, Jan. 21. Montgomery County is facing a significant substitute shortage among teachers and aides due to staff being out of school in connection to COVID-19. School board member Sue Kass would like to see the school district go all remote but understands the issues that come with it. School Board Chair Gunin Kiran says the parents want to see their kids in school.

All rights reserved)HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – At 12 a.m. Friday, the Hampton Roads area will return to Phase 3 with the rest of Virginia. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that “due to significantly improved health metrics in the Eastern Region,” localities in Hampton Roads can once again shift back to Phase 3. The impacted localities include cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Williamsburg, Newport News, Poquoson, James City County and York County. As of Sept. 9, the percent positivity rate for PCR tests in the Eastern Region is 6.7 percent and has been decreasing for 12 days, according to Northam. Hospitalizations, including COVID-19 intensive care unit hospitalizations, have been declining for approximately three weeks, and the current rate of emergency room admissions is steadily decreasing.

ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia’s high school athletes now have a clearer understanding of what will be allowed while Virginia is in Phase 3. On Friday, the the Virginia High School League, released revised guidelines for the return of sports, which included Phase 3 guidiance, something that was missing when similar guidelines were released last month. This means athletes can share balls again, as long as equipment is disinfected frequently before, during and after practices. Other equipment, such as wrestling ear guards, football helmets/other pads, lacrosse helmets/pads/gloves/eyewear should only be work by one person. Also, for those celebrating during practice, high-fives, fist bumps and hugs, are no longer banned in Phase 3.

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg will likely reopen in early August, according to SeaWorld Entertainment, the park’s parent company. “The Company expects its Busch Gardens theme park in Virginia to commence a phased reopening in early August 2020,″ is what SeaWorld Entertainment wrote as part of releasing its preliminary second quarter results. No additional details were provided as to what a phased reopening would look like. Because of coronavirus restrictions, Busch Gardens and other amusement parks in Virginia couldn’t open until Phase 3, which began July 1. However, because of the limitations still in place with Phase 3 restrictions, neither Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens has opened yet.

ROANOKE, Va. Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea and other city leaders are scheduled to speak on Wednesday afternoon. During the meeting, comments will focus on Phase 3 reopening process and how its been going this week. This will be one of the citys weekly news conferences to give an update on the citys response to the coronavirus pandemic.

SALEM, Va. – More parts of Virginia are now open under Phase Three of the state’s reopening plan, but Gov. Northam decided to keep bar seating at restaurants closed for the indefinite future because of social distancing concerns. Bob Rotanz, owner of Mac & Bob’s Restaurant in Salem, told 10 News he was excited to have customers back at his bar seating. “It seemed like when they talked about the flare ups, whether in Myrtle Beach, Florida, Texas, or wherever, the word, ‘bar’ kept coming in there. I’m really not surprised...disappointed, but not surprised.”Although bar seating is off limits, restaurants no longer have to limit their capacity, as long as every group is at least six feet apart.

ROANOKE, Va. – Business owners are prepared for Phase Three of Virginia’s reopening plan, which starts on Wednesday. Of those positive cases, 17% are from three local communities -- Roanoke city, and Roanoke and Botetourt counties. “I have my concerns as I’ve stated that publicly,” said Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea when questioned on whether he believes the area is ready for the next phase. Mayor Lea said if things get worse in terms of the number of cases, he will consider pausing or scaling back reopening guidelines. “At some point, if it gets too bad, maybe we’ll have to pause,” said Mayor Lea.

Ralph Northam is taking a late step to keep people from gathering at bars as the state prepares to enter Phase 3 of its reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. The governor said Tuesday the state's restaurants will not be allowed to fully reopen their bars as previously planned. Instead, restaurants can continue to operate under Phase 2 restrictions, which allows limited table service in bar areas but generally prohibits sitting at bar counters. The late notice will also hurt, he said, as restaurants will now have to scramble to adjust their staff and inventory. The Virginia Department of Health on Tuesday reported nearly 63,000 total cases of COVID-19, with just over 6,200 total hospitalizations and 1,760 deaths.

ROANOKE, Va – Ahead of Phase 3 places across Virginia are preparing to partially reopen for the first time in months. One of Roanoke’s largest venues, Center in the Square, is among them. Green Home Solutions of Roanoke donated $10,000 worth of time and supplies to help the center prepare for Phase 3. Brady said he brings his own children to Center in the Square often when it’s open and wanted to help give back. When Center in the Square reopens, all staff and visitors will be required to wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

ROANOKE, Va – Even though many national movie chains have announced plans to reopen, Roanoke’s Grandin Theatre will be keeping its doors shut. Phase 3 allows cinemas to open at 50% capacity starting July 1. The president of the Grandin Theatre Foundation Board said they want to make sure everyone can stay safe before allowing movie lovers back inside. While the theater remains closed, there are a variety of ways people can still help. Some of these options include:

ROANOKE, Va. – The countdown to Phase 3 is on and the city of Roanoke is preparing to reopen on July 1 following Gov. Are we moving too fast?” asked Lea. As of Thursday, the Star City has had 359 cases, 14 hospitalizations and 10 deaths. The Mayor has no intent to seek any formal actions to defer the City’s movement into Phase 3 of the reopening. I want businesses to get back and come back, but also, at what cost?” said Lea.

ROANOKE, Va. Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea and other city leaders are scheduled to speak on Wednesday afternoon. During the meeting, comments will focus on the progress of the citys reopening and what lies ahead with Phase 3. This will be one of the citys weekly news conferences to give an update on the citys response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Starting July 1, gyms and other fitness centers will be able to open at 75% capacity. It just means that were moving forward, said Julie Moore, the senior director of operations at Carilion Wellness. Carilion Wellness is moving in stages slower than the governors guidelines. Museums, zoos and other outdoor venues can open at 50% capacity with a cap at 1,000 people. As Virginians slowly return to a new normal, Moore warned that people should not rush into letting their guard down.

Ralph Northam is scheduled to give an update on the states response to the coronavirus on Tuesday afternoon. During Thursdays address, he gave more details about what Phase 3 will look like in Virginia. As of Tuesday, there are 58,994 coronavirus cases in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. [Where are Virginias coronavirus cases? The health departments interactive map]The governor is now only be giving coronavirus updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

RICHMOND, Va. – These are some of the changes we’ll see during Phase 3:Social gatherings may include up to 250 peopleCap on capacity for non-essential retail as well as restaurants will be lifted; however, physical distancing requirements will still remainMuseums, zoos and other outdoor venues can open at 50% capacity with a cap at 1,000 peopleGyms and other fitness centers will be able to open at 75% capacityPersonal grooming services will still need to follow physical distancing requirementsSwimming pools can open at 75% capacity with physical distancingCertain aspects of Phase Two will continue in Phase Three:

Ralph Northam just announced Virginia will not enter Phase 3 during this week. The governor said he is still monitoring the data and wants more time to analyze before announcing a date to shift from Phase 2 to Phase 3. He did say that he would announce more details about what Phase 3 will look like in Virginia during his 2 p.m. coronavirus update on Thursday. As of Tuesday, there are 55,331 coronavirus cases in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. If Governor Northam genuinely wants ‘science, data, and testing’ to drive our reopening, he should allow Phase 3 to proceed.”

ROANOKE, Va. While movie theaters are expected to be allowed to reopen in Phase 3, dont expect to catch a movie at Roanokes Grandin Theatre anytime soon. The theatre announced on Monday in a Facebook post that it will be closed until further notice. 10 News reached out to the theatre for further clarification and was told, to keep our patrons and staff safe the Grandin Theatre Board of Directors have decided to push back our re-opening date until further notice.While no date for Virginia entering Phase 3 has been announced, the majority of Virginia has been in Phase 2 since June 5. As for the question of when will the Grandin Theatre reopen, here more of what 10 News was told:We will reassess the pandemic situation and its implications on the Roanoke Region and decide to either re-open or extend our self-closure based on revised data and other community organization reporting.In its Facebook post, the theatre listed a variety of ways people can still help the theatre while it remains closed.