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Reopening Virginia: You can now get a dental checkup, have elective surgery and take your pet to the vet

Gov. Ralph Northam lifted the ban on surgeries, allowing them to resume May 1. Here's a breakdown of what that entails and what's reopening.

VIRGINIA, USA — Virginians will again be able to get dental checkups and elective surgeries in the commonwealth beginning May 1 after Governor Ralph Northam lifted a ban on nonemergency procedures.

The ban was imposed last month in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus and as a way to preserve personal protective equipment like face masks.

Thanks to increased social distancing efforts and new guidelines in the last few weeks, Gov. Northam said the commonwealth is more equipped to handle patient capacity and has enough supplies to provide needed care. Northam also said hospitals in the area didn't see the anticipated surge in coronavirus cases, so there is more capacity for elective surgeries and equipment.

"Together we took the right actions and they have been successful," Northam said in an April 29 press conference. “We slowed the spread of this virus.”

On top of allowing nonessential medical procedures like dental checkups and elective surgeries to resume, Northam also has allowed pet owners to resume taking their animals to the vet for nonemergencies. 

Allowing nonemergency procedures to resume  is part of a mutli-phase approach to reopening the state. The governor hasn't decided whether or not to extend his order to close nonessential businesses past May 8 when the current order expires. 

The governor is still waiting on increased testing and plateauing numbers before extending the order, he said in a press conference Wednesday.

RELATED: Virginia coronavirus updates: Single-day case increase hits high with health order set to expire

RELATED: When will DC, Maryland & Virginia reopen? Their epidemic curves can tell us

RELATED: Virginia dentist using 3D printer to make medical-grade masks for first responders

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