Virginia Covid-19 Standard Turns CDC Guidance Into Mandates

Many Virginia employers can now meet the state’s Covid-19 worker protection requirements by following CDC guidance, rather than the state’s own standard, effectively treating the federal agency’s recommendations as mandates.

That choice is one of the new changes to Virginia’s Covid-19 standard that took effect Wednesday following a review by the office of Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provision.

The more business-friendly approach coincides with a tightly contested gubernatorial race between Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, who was also Northam’s predecessor, and Trump-backed Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin. Governors of the state are ...