I hope you and yours are doing well. As our data comes in, Virginia continues to move through this pandemic in a positive way.

This is great news, but I take it cautiously. Numerous parts throughout the country, particularly ones that some say reopened too early, have had a second wave of outbreaks.

The Governor has just announced that Virginia will move into Phase 3 next Wednesday, July 1st. More information on what Phase 3 would look like is available in the next section. I am glad to see the data trend in a positive manner, allowing Virginia to move forward. However I want to continue to caution everyone to treat this pandemic as serious as we have the past few months.

I hope you and yours are doing well. We are a little over 3 months since this pandemic reached Virginia. I want to thank everyone in Virginia who has been doing their part to slow this virus down. Please note that Virginia will not enter Phase 3 this week. But even when we do reach Phase 3, we must all continue to stay vigilant.

The Governor has announced that legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday will be introduced. Many Americans celebrate the 4th of July as the birth of our nation and the liberation from a tyrannical empire, however, not everyone in America was given that freedom. We need to recognize this Juneteenth with the same reverence as the 4th of July because for so many American slaves, this was the day they were truly free.

I am so happy to see our community overcome this very tough situation. It will be a great boon to our businesses and their workers to ease more of the pandemic restrictions tomorrow. However we cannot stop taking this seriously. While we slowly return to normal lives, we must continue to stay vigilant. This means wearing your mask when you go outside, keeping a safe distance from other individuals, and staying at home when possible!

Northern Virginia and Richmond will be allowed to enter Phase 2 after COVID-19 cases continue to decline in our region. Additionally, the Governor announced a phased-in approach for our schools. More information on both Phase 2 and our schools will be presented below.