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On Tuesday, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced plans to amplify COVID-19 testing efforts across the city over the next two weeks.
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The Richmond City Health District offered free COVID-19 testing at Diversity Richmond after Tuesday's news conference. Stoney plans to hold six testing clinics over the next two weeks.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney says the city will ramp up its COVID-19 testing efforts after being granted a two-week reopening delay by Gov. Ralph Northam.
Stoney was joined by Richmond and Henrico Health District Director Dr. Danny Avula at Diversity Richmond on Tuesday, and reiterated his belief that local COVID-19 infection rates illustrate that reopening last Friday, as originally directed by the governor, would have been premature. Before the plan went into effect, Northam agreed to delay a phased reopening in Richmond until May 28 at the earliest.
As of Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health reports 811 cases of COVID-19 in Richmond, with 118 people hospitalized and 19 who have died from the disease.
“We requested this delay because the data didn’t suggest that reopening Richmond on May 15 would be safe, and, bottom line, that is this administration’s No. 1 priority,” Stoney said. “I still believe in a data-driven approach and that, ultimately, the virus will determine the timeline.”
To prepare over the next two weeks, Stoney and Avula said they’ll amplify testing efforts by holding three testing clinics per week in communities with concentrations of uninsured and under-insured people. Since free COVID-19 testing began last month, Avula said Richmond has hosted six testing events, and over 600 city residents have been tested.
Alongside expanded testing efforts, the city also will strive to support struggling local restaurants and bolster access to protective equipment.
Following an event last week where 20,000 state-donated face masks and bottles of hand sanitizer were distributed, Stoney announced that every member of Richmond City Council will be supplied with 500 face masks and bottles of hand sanitizer to disburse within their districts.
“The science is very clear: Wearing a mask drives down rates of community transmissions, so we’re invested in making sure that face coverings are accessible and expected amongst those in our community,” Stoney said.
City staff members are also exploring plans to allow local restaurants to expand their outdoor seating once a phased reopening begins. Once finalized, the plan would allow restaurants to offer expanded or new patio seating on public land such as streets, sidewalks and public spaces, in accordance with the governor’s mandate to allow restaurants to offer outdoor seating at 50% capacity.
Stoney says he’ll work with City Council to engage neighborhood and business associations throughout the city to gauge interest in the plan.
“My hope is that the strategic approach will allow for ample and ongoing social distancing in our public spaces,” he said.
Restaurant owners interested in applying for new or expanded patio space can fill out an interest form at rvastrong.org/outdoorseating.
This week, the city will hold free COVID-19 testing clinics at:
- Tuckahoe Middle School on Thursday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- East Lawn Shopping Center on Friday, May 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
City residents can call the Richmond City Health District’s COVID-19 Call Center at 804-205-3501 to find out whether they qualify and to register for an upcoming testing event.
