Advocates for immigrants and African Americans say more testing, economic support, and worker protection must be in place before it is safe to reopen businesses, as Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he expects to do so as early as May 15. One local government leader sided with Latino and black activists who say they already suffer the brunt of COVID-19 infections, and will further struggle should the state ease pandemic restrictions.

“It is way too early to be reopening back up,” said Luis Aguilar, Virginia director of the immigrant advocacy group CASA. “We should take a slower path towards reopening to make sure that the folks, especially the service workers, are not directly impacted.”

Virginia reported a total of 20,256 cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, and county-level data revealed minorities are acutely affected. In Fairfax, the state’s most populous county, Hispanic patients comprise 58 percent of cases for which demographic data is available. In Alexandria, Latinos represent 56 percent, and in Prince William, their share rises to 61 percent.

African Americans are also overrepresented in the state’s infections and deaths from COVID-19. They represent just over a quarter of the infections and deaths from the disease, even though they comprise only a fifth of the population.

Sean Perryman, president of the Fairfax NAACP, said those figures reflect the high prevalence of immigrant and African American workers in service jobs that cannot be completed at home.

“Blacks and Hispanics are already being impacted by this because we are on the front lines,” he said. “We’re sacrificing black and brown people to see if we can stimulate the economy.”

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay agreed with critics of the governor.

“I have not seen definitive data or evidence at this point to support a reopening on May 15,” he wrote WAMU. “We are in the exponential growth part of our epidemic curve, and at this point it’s safer to stay home.”

In his announcement Monday about reopening the state, Northam extended a ban on nonessential businesses to May 14. After that, he said, he anticipated that Virginia could be ready to move into a first phase of easing restrictions. He pointed to data that showed hospitals were not overwhelmed and had enough protective equipment to treat COVID-19 patients.

During the first phase of reopening, Northam said, companies should establish policies to keep coworkers and customers separated; workers might need to wear face masks; and employers would need to set schedules with breaks for workers to wash their hands frequently.

“Workplace safety is critical,” Northam said, adding that his office would provide additional guidelines for specific industries.

He did not mention implementing universal COVID-19 testing at workplaces.

His spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said “the May 15th date is not set in stone” and that Northam would monitor data before rolling back restrictions.

She noted that Virginia infection data was encouraging: a downward trend in the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19; a stable rate of hospitalizations due to the disease; and a rising ability to test for it, although Virginia continues to fall short of Northam’s stated target of 10,000 daily tests.

The Democratic governor’s announcement placated Republicans while alienating immigrant advocates.

“We hope the Governor is serious about reopening next Friday,” wrote House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert in a statement. “Virginians need a light at the end of this tunnel.”

Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, an immigration attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center, wrote in an email to WAMU that he was not convinced by Northam’s rationale for reopening.

“In the immigrant communities in which we work, this virus is just starting to accelerate,” he wrote. “Especially for those with no or inadequate health insurance, it’s not reassuring to be told ‘it’s safe for you to go back to work because there’s an ICU bed open and waiting for you.’”

Immigrant advocates have appealed to local governments for help in fighting COVID-19. Aguilar of CASA said he approached the Fairfax County government with a request for testing and for financial assistance for undocumented workers. McKay said that Fairfax County has a shortage of tests and could not operate a robust public testing program. He said the county allocated more than $20 million to non-profits that give financial help to the vulnerable including undocumented immigrants.

Diane Alejandro of the immigrant advocacy group ACLU People Power Fairfax said she feared a premature move to reopen the economy could pose a risk not only to low-wage workers, but the wider population. One restaurant worker, she said, could transmit the disease to others.

“It may be that immigrant server who is sick and asymptomatic,” she said. “And they are passing it along to everybody who is eating in the restaurant or working in the restaurant.”