Governor Update for June 11, 2020

Virginia Universities & Colleges Reopens; Revenue numbers financial update

In the "short" press conference, Governor Northam touched on the commonwealth's health metrics, reopening plans for higher education, and the commonwealth's revenue numbers for May and what they mean for financial planning later this year. Before he got to his three topics, the governor spoke on the protests and the confederate monuments. This can be found at the 9:00 to the 12:00 mark of the video below. 

Going towards the metrics. Virginia hasn't seen a spike in the cases so far, despite other states beginning to see that spike. In fact, the metrics continue to trend downward. To see the slides, it can be found at the 12:00 to the 15:17 mark. The slides include total cases by date reported; total deaths by date reported; and the number of people tested, number of positive tests, and percent positively by lab report date, PCR only. 

After reminders about phase II guidelines, since the City of Richmond and Northern Virginia will enter into it Friday, June 12th, Governor Northam also reminded those who attend the protests that it's a good idea to go ahead and be tested. 

Onto the reopening plans for higher education towards in-person classes. The guidance will be similar to K-12 schools. Colleges have to meet certain public health conditions before reopening their campuses. They also have to submit reopening plans to the state council for higher education for Virginia, which will review their plans making sure it fits with the guidelines. "The commonwealth has one of the best and most diverse systems of higher education in the nation, which ranges from large to small; heavily residential to commuter; from urban to rural; and beyond." This means that each institution will create a reopening plan that is unique to them. But there are some things that all colleges must abide by. These things include it being based on the latest public health data, which includes the VDH's higher education testing guidelines. Governor Northam had Peter Blake, the director of the state council of higher education, talk more on the guidance. This portion of the conference can found at 15:18 to the 24:08 mark. 

Here is the minimum the plans must address:

• repopulation of the campus; 
• monitoring health conditions to detect infection; 
• containment to prevent the spread of disease when detected; 
• and shut down considerations if necessitated by severe conditions or public health guidance. 

The plans offered can be changed at any time depending on the changing situation. Mr. Bkake told us to expect a new normal. The new normal may include: 

• more classes being taught online or hybrid manner; 
• classes will be smaller; 
• schedules will be staggered; 
• residence life will be spread out; 
• food services will be offered at non-traditional ways; 
• and large scale events such as performing arts and athletics will be a new experience. 

Mr. Blake also said the following. "While college life will change, the energy, creativity, and commitment shown by college and university's faculty and staff will ensure that the learning experience will not be sacrificed." 

After the guidelines were given, Governor Northam thanked Anne Holton, interim president of George Mason University, and announced that on July 1, Gregory Washington will become the school's 8th president. This portion is found at the 24:08 to the 24:52. 

The final topic before the health update and questioning period were on the May revenue numbers. The Governor had Aubrey Lane, the Secretary of Finance to put this in perspective. This can be found at the 24:53 to the 30:55 mark. 

In the Governor's closing remarks, Northam re-illustrated how important it is to continue to take the pandemic seriously while we're all adjusting into the new normal. 

The latest health metrics update by Dr. Norm Oliver: 

• Total cases stand at 52,647, which includes 470 new cases. 
• Total deaths stand at 1,520 in Virginia, which includes 6 new deaths.

For more numbers, it can be found from the 30:56 to the 33:25 mark. 

In the questioning period, the governor said that there's a minimum of two weeks in between each phase. Northam said that on Tuesday's conference, he will possibly have some guidance for businesses and have an idea of when the commonwealth will enter Phase III. This is just a possibility, not a definite. You may find this part of the conference beginning at the 33:28 to 55:44 mark. The next press conference is set for Tuesday, June 16th at 2pm. 

To see the Governor's Press Conference, you may watch it down below: