Northern Virginia reopened Friday. Here’s a look at what’s different after the coronavirus shutdown

Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that on Friday, May 29, Northern Virginia will move into phase one of reopening.

On Wednesday, May 27, Northam tweeted what will and will not be available for the public to do upon reopening.

“All of Virginia will operate under Phase One starting Friday, including Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Accomack County. As we move forward thoughtfully and deliberately, we all must stay vigilant—following the guidelines, wearing masks inside, and looking out for each other,” said Northam on his twitter page @GovernorVA.

Places like schools, indoor gyms, overnight summer camps, movie theaters, and concerts will remain closed. Beaches will be open for exercise and fishing only.

Personal grooming, such as haircuts, will be by appointment only, non-essential retail will be open at 50% capacity, and childcare will be available only for working families.

Restaurants will still be enforcing curbside pickup and deliveries, but customers will be able to be seated at around 50% capacity.

Private campgrounds and state parks are open for the public, and overnight usage of state parks will start occurring in phases.

Worship practices can operate at either 50% capacity or through drive-in services.

First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City (FUPCDC) has explained that they will open in phases as well, although slower than the Virginia state plans.

“We are looking into [drive in services], but are currently only offering live streaming on 10 a.m. each Sunday,” said Reverend Pastor Adam Bowling of FUPCDC.

Many families participate in Bible camps or Bible schools with their child, but the coronavirus makes it hard to have the children meet each other. Like the worship services, some have moved their camps to a virtual outlet.

FUPCDC is located in an area where the second-highest amount of coronavirus cases are seen in the state. Bowling states that he is working closely with a security and safety team to monitor the virus and making plans to slowly come back to indoor services like the Virginia reopening plan allows, but as of right now, they will only be having virtual.

Potomac Mills mall will reopened with phase one protocols in mind

These increased safety measures include additional sanitizing stations and markings on floors to make sure shoppers are adhering to the social distancing.

Simon Property Group (Simon), the owner of many chain malls including Potomac Mills, has released a document called “Covid-19 Exposure Mitigation Protocols” on their website, explaining what the expectations are for shop managers, employees, and customers. The document also explains what is closed, what is available, and how stores will be run.

Strollers, valet use, drinking fountains, and child play areas will be out of service, according to Simon. Security will be at entrances to stores and the malls itself, reminding shoppers that if anyone has been exposed to the virus and/or has been feeling symptoms will be asked to not enter the building.

Markings on floors around the mall will help in directing traffic flow and to follow the social distancing rules. You can find these markings on escalators, near directories, entrances to the building inside stores, and on restaurant counters.

Janitors in charge of sanitation jobs will be provided with personal protection equipment, like masks and gloves, and will be asked to sanitize places like chairs, restrooms, directories, seating areas, charging stations, and tables regularly throughout the day. They will also clean high touchpoint areas such as elevator buttons, doorknobs, railings, seating areas, restrooms, and more. Air filters will be changed regularly to improve air quality.

Employees will be given regular breaks to wash and disinfect their hands.

Employees and customers are asked to follow social distancing rules like washing hands frequently, staying 6-feet apart, doing a self-screening before entering the building (employees have to do a second screening with their boss before starting a shift), wearing personal protection equipment (employees will be provided with materials from store owner), and to avoid touching their face. Employees will be trained on how their store will follow phase one protocols.

Food courts will be different as well with tables being separated 6-feet apart and operating at 50% occupancy. Markers will be placed to direct customers where and how far to stand with disposable resources being used instead of items like a food tray, according to Simon company.

Restrooms will even be up to phase one protocol. Sinks and urinals will be taped off to separate people to offer proper spacing.

If the occupancy is maxed out above 50 square feet per person, the people wanting to enter the mall building will have to wait in their cars until the numbers go down, according to the Simon Company.

“Business hours will be limited to allow for enhanced workspace cleaning and sanitizing. Properties will be thoroughly cleaned during non-operating hours meeting or exceeding CDC guidelines and recommendations,” Simon Company states.

Potomac Mills will open at 11 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. starting May 29. On Sundays, it will be open from noon to 6 p.m.