“I’m much more about carrots than I am of sticks. I’m here today to ask Virginians to be part of the solution, and hopefully we won’t get to the point where we have to do a lot of enforcement,” Northam said Tuesday.

Northam said Virginia would not call for restaurants and bars to close, saying that many Virginians obtain their daily meals from such establishments.

Restaurants, he said, are asked to abide by the limit on gatherings. He said that if the number of people in the space extends beyond 10 people, the state is asking establishments to offer takeout and delivery.

“Forty-five percent of Virginians get their meals from restaurants,” Northam said. “I think we have to be very careful, very prudent. We want to keep Virginians healthy, but we also know they need to eat and get adequate nutrition.”

Tests for virus still short of demand

State officials said the state had 300 to 400 COVID-19 tests available Tuesday afternoon — a number that would double by Wednesday but remain short of meeting public demand.

Virginia had tested 1,028 people for COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning. The state’s population is roughly 8.5 million.