Elective Surgeries, Routine Dental and Veterinary Services to Resume Friday

Governor Ralph Northam will allow elective surgeries and routine dental and veterinary services to resume on Friday, May 1.

The procedures were halted in mid-March as a way of preserving the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital bed capacity.

Northam says the state's stay-at-home order, school and business closings, and social distancing guidelines have worked to prevent a surge of cases which could have overwhelmed Virginia's hospitals, and that is why he is allowing the elective and routine services to resume.

The governor says the "Forward Virginia" business task force is continuing to work to develop guidelines to allow the reopening of businesses in Virginia.

Northam said it's possible that certain regions of Virginia may be able to resume business before others.

Teams from the CDC have arrived at poultry processing plants on Virginia's Eastern Shore to assess safety and operational procedures.

Those plants, as well as other meat processing plants across the state, will need to reconfigure their work spaces and provide PPE for their employees in order to continue to operate.

State Health Commissioner, Dr. M. Norman Oliver, announced that the Virginia Dept. of Health will begin breaking down data for coronavirus cases and deaths by zip code. Oliver said the website should be updated within a few days.

More on this story from our media partner, ABC 13 - WSET.


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