At 620 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (though we know the true number is significantly higher), Harrisonburg is now one of the hardest hit hotspots in Virginia, rapidly surpassing Richmond. Despite this explosion in cases, the City of Harrisonburg will be moving forward with the Governor's Phase 1 plan for reopening.

The essential workers of Harrisonburg are being put in danger without necessary protections all while the number of cases continues to climb.

Governor Ralph Northam has stated that he will allow any localities in Virginia to delay opening provided the local elected officials reach out to his office. Richmond, who has the same amount of cases (and significantly less per capita than Harrisonburg), will be delaying their opening. So we ask if conditions in Harrisonburg are looking more bleak than Richmond, why are we still opening businesses and putting more workers at risk?

Employers are already threatening workers who do not feel safe returning to work. Moving too quickly into Phase 1 not only puts these workers at risk, it also forces them to choose between taking that risk to return to work or losing what little unemployment benefits they're already getting.

So we, the workers of Harrisonburg, call on Mayor Deanna Reed and the Harrisonburg City Council to do the right thing and request a delay in implementing the Governor's Phase 1 guidelines for reopening until there is scientific evidence that workers will not be at a heightened risk for catching a deadly virus that has no cure.

We are essential, not sacrificial.