Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to ease some coronavirus restrictions March 1

Virginia to ease COVID restrictions starting March 1

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said that he will allow the state to slowly begin to ease some restrictions that have been in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

RICHMOND, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said that he will allow the state to slowly begin to ease some restrictions that have been in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Northam said that the number of coronavirus cases in the state have fallen while the number of vaccinations have risen since the beginning of the year.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

On Monday, March 1, Northam says the state will:

-Expand alcohol sales to midnight

-Lift the modified stay at home order ending the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew

-Allow outdoor social gatherings to have up to 25 people

-Expand outdoor entertainment limit to 30 percent with a cap of 1000 people. By April, if cases continue to decline, the cap may be removed.

March 1 will be six days shy of a year since the first positive case was identified in Virginia.

"We're at a dangerous but very hopeful moment hoping that we can spread vaccinations faster than the variants. And I believe that we can," he said adding that Virginias should continue observing safety measure like social distancing, wearing a mask and washing their hands.