Gov. Ralph Northam speaks at his March 23, 2021, news conference on COVID-19.
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday he is “slowly and safely” lifting some COVID-19 restrictions statewide beginning April 1, including raising limits of gatherings to 30% capacity at entertainment venues.
In most cases, outdoor gatherings will be limited to 100 people and indoor gatherings at 50 people, the governor said. Wedding venues, which have been under heavy restriction for months, will be allowed to have events following these limits. Large entertainment venues, such as The Diamond baseball stadium in Virginia, can have more attendance, he added, as long as they don’t exceed 30% of the venue capacity, and masks and physical distancing are enforced.
Last week, Northam released preliminary guidance for K-12 schools, colleges and universities to safely hold in-person graduation ceremonies and other commencement events this spring. Outdoor graduation events will be capped at 5,000 people or 30% of the venue capacity, whichever is less, and indoor events have a limit of 500 people or 30% of capacity.
