On Wednesday, July 1, the City of Richmond will move into Phase Three of the state’s reopening plan, Forward Virginia.
 
“In light of the data we’re seeing and the accessibility of testing and secure isolation, I’m comfortable with our city entering Phase Three of Forward Virginia alongside the rest of the Commonwealth,” said Mayor Stoney.
 
“However, we know that to keep moving forward in the recovery process, we have to maintain the same cautious, respectful attitudes and practices we’ve been normalizing for the past three months,” he continued. “Wear a mask, keep your distance and get tested.”
 
Since mid-March, the City of Richmond has operated under various stages of closure while adopting basic practices that are proven to fight the spread of COVID-19: wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, sanitizing hands and spaces and intentionally protecting the most vulnerable individuals and communities.
 
The governor’s face covering requirement in indoor public spaces is still in place. 
 
The Richmond City Health District, alongside the City of Richmond, continues to provide testing opportunities, primary care support, mask distribution and supported isolations for those that need it. For information on testing availability in the Richmond area, use the Virginia Department of Health’s zip code testing locator, or call the Richmond City and Henrico County COVID-19 Hotline at 804-205-3501.
 
“As we look at local and regional trends in cases, hospitalization data and indications of hospital capacity, I support Richmond advancing into Phase Three,” said Director of Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts Dr. Danny Avula. “However, our ability to move past Phase Three is contingent on all of us continuing to the practices that we know work to limit the spread of disease: symptom screening, handwashing, mask-wearing and physical distancing. We continue to urge strict adherence to the Governor’s guidelines.”
 
“The residents and businesses of our city have made selfless adjustments to help control the spread of this virus in our community,” said the mayor. “Still, evidence from other states suggests we need to approach this reopening cautiously and conscientiously. We must keep doing all we can to keep everyone, especially our most vulnerable populations, safe.”
 
The Commonwealth of Virginia has determined the guidelines that businesses and individuals who patronize those businesses should abide by during Phase Three. The following information is a summary of the requirements the state has made of businesses who wish to open during Phase Three. Requirements and best practices are available online in full here.
 
Note: The state requires all businesses serving the public to undertake rigorous sanitation practices and display extensive signage promoting the health and safety of patrons and employees. The signage should clearly state that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 or known exposure to a COVID-19 case in the prior 14 days, is permitted in the establishment. It should also include reminders of public health precautions, such as social distancing, isolating when sick and options for high-risk individuals.
 
Gatherings of any kind, social or faith-based:
 
There is a 250-person limit on gatherings of all kinds.
 
Individuals attending religious services must be seated at least six feet apart from a party from a different household. All items used to distribute food or drink must be disposable, used only once and immediately discarded.
 
Restaurant and beverage services:
 
Establishments can open at full capacity as long as the mandatory six feet of social distancing is maintained between parties at all times. Bar areas can be opened, but six feet of distance between customers is mandatory.
 
All parties, whether seated together or dispersed across multiple tables, are limited to 250 patrons, per the guidance on social gatherings.
 
If live musicians are performing at an establishment, they must stay 10 feet from other patrons and staff.
 
Non-essential brick and mortar:
 
Establishments can open at full capacity as long as the mandatory six feet of social distancing is maintained between parties at all times. Guidelines encourage management to mark six-foot increments for customers to adhere to while standing in line.
 
Fitness and exercise facilities:

Establishments can open at 75 percent occupancy. 10 feet of social distancing is required between patrons and staff. To facilitate this, management should distance fitness equipment at least 10 feet apart.
 
The total number of attendees for a fitness or exercise class shall not exceed 250, in accordance with the guidance on gatherings.
 
Indoor and outdoor swimming pools:
 
Both indoor and outdoor pools can open at 75 percent capacity, with 10 feet of distance required. Free swim is allowed, in addition to all activities allowed under Phase Two, including diving, lap swim and instruction. 10 feet of social distancing is still required when engaging in these activities.
 
Hot tubs, spas, saunas, splash pads, spray pools and other interactive play features will remain closed.
 
Recreational sports:
 
Where practicable, indoor and outdoor recreational sports should maintain 10 feet of distance between instructors, participants and spectators.
 
Participation is limited to 50 percent of the occupancy load of the recreational space, capped at 250 people in total, in accordance with the guidance on gatherings. For sports played on a field, attendees are limited to 250 persons per field.
 
Personal care and personal grooming services:
 
Establishments can open at full capacity and take walk-in customers instead of limiting service to appointments. Social distancing is required between workstations.
 
Appointments should be staggered to allow for ample cleaning time. Customers must wear a face covering throughout the service.
 
Entertainment and public amusement:
 
All venues may open at half capacity, which is not to exceed 1000 people.
 
Private bookings are limited to no more than 250 people.
 
10 feet of distance should be maintained between all performers, participants and patrons who are not members of the same household, regardless of the venue’s capacity.
 
Establishments should reconfigure areas to encourage social distancing, which can include spacing out seating areas, posting ample signage and making regular audio announcements. The availability of interactive exhibits and shared items should be discontinued for the time being to reduce the potential for transmission through shared surfaces.
 
 
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Mayor Stoney announced today that he is appointing Deputy Chief Gerald Smith of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department as the new chief of the Richmond Police Department. 
 
Smith will assume the position on July 1.
 
“Deputy Chief Gerald Smith is who Richmond needs right now – a reform-minded leader with deep experience in community policing and de-escalation,” said Mayor Stoney.
 
Smith currently serves as the Executive Officer of Investigative Services in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. In that position, he commands criminal investigations including domestic violence, crimes against children, sexual assault and homicide. 
 
He has been with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since 1991, rising in the ranks from community police officer to deputy chief.
 
Current Interim Chief William “Jody” Blackwell has asked to return to his former position of major. He will continue serving as interim chief until July 1.
 
“I am grateful for Interim Chief Blackwell’s continued service to the Richmond Police Department,” said Mayor Stoney. “Since the departure of former Chief William Smith, we have been searching for a permanent chief. I’m excited for Gerald Smith, a proven change-agent, to serve Richmond in that capacity.”
 
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The allocation represents 30 percent of the city’s CARES Act funding from the state

The Stoney administration today announced that $6 million of the $20.1 million in CARES Act funding provided to the city by the state will go to fund the Eviction Diversion Program and rental assistance.
 
The sum represents 30 percent of the state’s total allocation to the City of Richmond.
 
The funding will support both households currently facing evictions pending in the courts as well as those at risk of eviction due to economic challenges arising from COVID-19.
 
“From both a human services and a public health perspective, it is paramount that Richmond residents do not face housing insecurity during this pandemic,” said Mayor Stoney. “In the long-term recovery from this crisis, we want to make sure the city’s doing everything it can to empower residents, especially during the most challenging moments of their lives.”
 
The eviction moratorium issued by Governor Northam expires on Monday, June 29. 1900 households in Richmond currently face a pending eviction. Those cases will move forward if the eviction moratorium is not extended.

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The allocation represents 30 percent of the city’s CARES Act funding from the state

The Stoney administration today announced that $6 million of the $20.1 million in CARES Act funding provided to the city by the state will go to fund the Eviction Diversion Program and rental assistance.
 
The sum represents 30 percent of the state’s total allocation to the City of Richmond.
 
The funding will support both households currently facing evictions pending in the courts as well as those at risk of eviction due to economic challenges arising from COVID-19.
 
“From both a human services and a public health perspective, it is paramount that Richmond residents do not face housing insecurity during this pandemic,” said Mayor Stoney. “In the long-term recovery from this crisis, we want to make sure the city’s doing everything it can to empower residents, especially during the most challenging moments of their lives.”
 
The eviction moratorium issued by Governor Northam expires on Monday, June 29. 1900 households in Richmond currently face a pending eviction. Those cases will move forward if the eviction moratorium is not extended.

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Click here to download the Mayor’s Roadmap for Public Safety Reform. The full visual presentation will be available here when meeting materials are posted by the city clerk.

At an informal meeting of Richmond City Council on Monday, Mayor Stoney presented his local roadmap for reimagining public safety, a plan for the restructuring and reform of city policies, procedures and practices to ensure a truly safer city for all. 
 
The Stoney administration is pursuing a human services-centered approach to public safety, strengthening and creating new partnerships between the city and community organizations. 

“Of course, we need officers to respond to violent and criminal acts, but we cannot expect our police officers to serve as social workers, psychologists, child trauma experts and mental health workers, responding to every non-criminal call for service because America hasn’t properly prioritized other service providers,” said Mayor Stoney. “It does not make our country, or our city, safer.”
 
The elements of the roadmap fall into five main buckets: policy, accountability, programs, community healing and engagement, and governance.
 
Policy:
 
The Richmond Police Department (RPD) has updated and strengthened their Duty to Intervene policy, which ensures that officers are legally and morally obligated to intervene when they believe an officer or supervisor is about to use excessive or unnecessary force or observe other inappropriate actions.
 
The RPD has also updated their long-standing ban on chokeholds to provide greater specificity for officers.
 
Accountability:
 
A Civilian Review Board is generally charged with the duty of reviewing complaints about officers and recommending disciplinary action after police departments have completed their own investigations and made their own recommendations.
 
The mayor has established that it should be independent of the police department and representative of the Richmond community at large. To that end, he has requested that Richmond City Council play an active role in engaging constituents and drafting the legislation to create the board.
 
The Stoney administration has committed to hosting two community engagement meetings before the ordinance is drafted and introduced and is encouraging city council to do the same.
 
“This is my goal: over the next few weeks and months, we will collectively engage the community, seek input from RPD, review best practices and present an ordinance for introduction,” said Mayor Stoney.
 
Programs:
 
The city will create a formal crisis alert system, called the Marcus Alert. The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) and RPD will implement a responsive citywide alert system that allows the two agencies to work collaboratively to address calls about mental and behavioral health crises, ensuring residents get the help they need.
  
Community Healing and Engagement: 

In order to facilitate community healing and engagement and meet the commitment he made in signing Barack Obama’s Mayor Pledge to review and reform the city’s use of force policy, the mayor has founded the Task Force for Reimagining Public Safety.
 
The task force will bring together more than 20 individuals from the activist, legal, academic, law enforcement, mental and behavioral health and other communities to agree on a set of actionable steps forward within 90 days of the first meeting. 
 
It will focus on making public safety recommendations that build toward equity and justice in five core areas: police policy, practices and culture, police accountability, community healing and engagement, officer training and education, and officer and community wellness.
 
The Stoney administration has also committed to removing the city’s monuments to the Lost Cause. The state allows municipalities to begin the removal process July 1, though the mayor has stated that he supports immediate removal. 
 
Governance:
 
Racial equity should be a core component of city policies and practices. Councilmembers Newbille and Robertson have worked alongside the administration to develop a racial equity strategy for the city, which includes staff training and an equity study, among other measures.
 
As part of this work, Mayor Stoney has asked his executive cabinet to report back to him with several ways in which policies and practices within their portfolios can be changed to actively advance equity.
 
“The issues we have with our public safety system, and with creating racial equity and justice more broadly in our community, do not have an easy or straightforward solution,” Mayor Stoney told council. “It’s going to take compassion, conversation and teamwork to create meaningful change in our city.”
 
“But, the work cannot and will not stop here,” continued Mayor Stoney. “We have to remember that public safety is not the only system that needs to be reformed. We have work to do to ensure that our kids are receiving a high-quality education, that affordable housing opportunities are available across the city for all residents, that city services are delivered in an effective and efficient manner, and that we provide pathways for economic mobility. This is our time, our chance, our opportunity to renew Richmond — to give it new strength and spirit.”

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