On Tuesday, state Sen. Amanda Chase, the only declared Republican candidate for Virginia governor in 2021, took to Facebook Live to warn supporters that Gov. Ralph Northam might be using the University of Virginia COVID-19 models to justify extending his shutdown orders into August.
That prediction — delivered via a video viewed more than 400,000 times — turned out to be incorrect.
On Wednesday, Northam said he was extending mandatory closures for certain types of businesses by two weeks, setting a new expiration date of May 8.
In a Facebook post-Wednesday night, Chase told followers she was glad her theory didn’t pan out and suggested the governor may have sensed a backlash coming from Virginians who “want to get back to work.”
“I think it’s time to put pressure on him,” Chase said. “And say May 8th is it.”
As Virginia enters its second month of social distancing, Republicans are becoming increasingly vocal about calling for a plan to reopen the economy, signaling an initial period of bipartisan consensus over how to manage the crisis may be coming to an end.
Northam, the only medical doctor serving as governor of any state, has shown no signs of changing course, saying he’s following the advice of health experts and responding to data showing that lifting social distancing rules too quickly would put more people in danger. The governor’s stay-at-home order asking Virginians to avoid leaving the house is still scheduled to be in effect until June 10.
As the Northam administration continues to confront the public health crisis, Republican General Assembly leaders are beginning to press for a plan to get business moving again.
“Virginia can’t go on like this,” Senate Republican leaders said in a statement responding to the governor’s extension of his order banning large gatherings and closing restaurant dining rooms, gyms, theaters, hair salons and barbershops and other businesses. “For the sake of our state’s economy and the quality of life of all Virginians, we need to prepare for a safely ‘Reopened Virginia’ as soon as possible.”
Opponents of the governor’s shutdown policies have been using social media to try to organize protests. The first one, held outside the Executive Mansion Thursday, was sparsely attended, with only a few dozen people gathering to hold signs and picnic with their families.
The Virginia Mercury is a new, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering Virginia government and policy.