The number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia pushed past the 36,000 mark Sunday. Meanwhile, Governor Ralph Northam faced criticism for not wearing a mask during a visit to Virginia Beach.
The Virginia Department of Health reported 36,244 cases of COVID-19 in its Sunday data update. That's 1,294 more than the number reported Friday morning.
35 additional deaths were reported over the weekend, bringing the state's total to 1,171.
18,859 diagnostic (PCR) test results were entered into the state's database over the weekend. 242,292 such tests have now been conducted in Virginia.
Critics chide Virginia governor for mask-less beach visit
Gov. Ralph Northam has repeatedly urged Virginia residents to cover their faces in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he didn’t heed his own plea when he posed mask-less for photographs alongside residents during a weekend beach visit.
A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said on Sunday that Northam should have brought a face mask with him during his visit on Saturday to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Critics on social media chided Northam for not practicing what he has preached.
Northam has suggested that he will announce a statewide policy on face coverings on Tuesday.
