State Set to Enact Nightly Curfews as Coronavirus Crashes Christmas

This was our nightmare:  A pandemic that lasts well into the holiday season and threatens to crash Christmas itself.

As many predicted, the cold weather that has snapped into America has driven our citizens indoors, where social distancing becomes difficult.  Combined with the COVID fatigue that we’re all feeling, this has been an absolute recipe for disaster.

In an aggressive move aimed at curbing the spread of the disease, Virginia is now enacting a strict curfew.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Thursday a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m., among other new measures, aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth amid a record spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

The curfew starts at 12:01 a.m. Monday for everyone except those going to or from work, buying food or goods, or seeking medical attention, and is tentatively set to expire Jan. 31, 2021. “If you don’t need to go out, go home,” Northam said at the briefing Thursday.

Asked about enforcement of the curfew, Northam said, “We will ask Virginians to follow those guidelines.”

Asked whether state or local law enforcement will be able to lodge any penalties, he said, “It’s a modified stay-at-home order.”

Northam also adjusted the state’s limit on gatherings, reducing the number by more than half, from 25 persons to 10.