Northam checks out beach’s reopening
Governor praises Oceanfront rules as model for the nation
VIRGINIA BEACH — As Gov. Ralph Northam strode up the boardwalk with a small entourage Saturday afternoon, he stopped to say hello to patrons at picnic tables outside Waterman’s Surfside Grille.
The weather was warm, barely tipping into the 80s, and only a few clouds blotted the sunny sky.
He was pleased with what he saw.
“I think this can be a model, really, for not only the rest of the state, but the rest of the country,” Northam said. “How to do it the right way.”
He was referring to the city’s extensive reopening plan for its 28 miles of beach amid the coronavirus pandemic. The strategy involved cleaning crews, educational signs and beach “ambassadors” at every block to remind people of how to practice social distancing — staying at least 6 feet apart from others.
Virginia Beach officials have even instituted a new rule for parking garages, capping them at half-full.
Meanwhile, beaches throughout the state remained closed during Memorial Day weekend, which, for many areas, also kicks off the tourist season. Northam said he looks forward to reviewing other localities’ plans to reopen safely so they can follow suit.
Northam stopped at 5th Street along the Oceanfront to talk to reporters. In the open air, he did not have a mask slung around his neck, as he usually does during his news conferences in Richmond.
A few minutes earlier, he had posed for a quick selfie with Tori Bloxom, an Onancock resident who said she knows the governor from living on the Eastern Shore. She gave him a pat on the shoulder.
That might not have been the preferred greeting in this new age of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Northam has urged Virginians to forgo shaking hands, for instance, to avoid spreading germs.
“We just have to continue to remind people that we want to keep the social distance of 6 feet apart,” he said, when asked about the touch later. “That’s a challenge for a lot of folks because they’re just not used to doing that.”
For Bloxom, getting out to
Virginia Beach after a couple months of staying home was rejuvenating. She sat with her husband and a couple of friends while taking in the ocean view. A coconut lime crush quenched her thirst.
Seeing the governor was a pleasant surprise, she said.
“I feel like his being supportive, seeing him here, makes us feel fantastic about his leadership,” Bloxom said.
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer accompanied the governor as he strolled the Oceanfront. While police were ready to enforce the new social-distancing rules, Dyer said he believed there hadn’t been any action taken Saturday.
“The ambassadors are saying, for the most part, people have been friendly, compliant, and that’s what we want to say,” he said.
Following the holiday weekend, Northam is expected to announce a new statewide policy regarding masks. At the beach Saturday, the governor said his administration was still working on the details, but that he planned to make it public on Tuesday.
Northam has so far not made wearing a mask mandatory, although he has previously said that could be part of the first phase of reopening Virginia for employees of certain industries.
“Especially looking at places of business, and indoors, so things like getting on elevators,” he said. “We know that these masks, they protect folks, they save lives.”
Many beachgoers appeared to be heeding the instructions of spacing out their blankets and umbrellas.
Shy Forrest, a resident of Colonial Heights, was one of them. She and her two children sat on the wet sand far from other people, filling plastic pails.
For her 1-year-old son, Hamilton, it was his first time on the beach. Seeing him get the hang of the sand between his toes made the trip worthwhile, she said.
The only thing Forrest was nervous about was when she’d eventually have to take them to a bathroom.
“I think that’s the only time we’ll really have to interact with people,” she said.