Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday the state could lift most of its COVID-19 pandemic restrictions by mid-June, about 14 months after the state initially put those measures in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Northam said the state is planning to do away with social distancing requirements and restrictions on gathering sizes on June 15, provided coronavirus cases continue to drop and the pace of vaccinations does not let up. The state is reporting fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day.

“We’re not at the finish line yet,” Northam said during a press conference. “But we’re approaching a time where we can think differently about how we interact, especially people who are vaccinated.” 

The governor did not say the state would lift its face mask requirements, but said officials would continue evaluating the state’s guidance.

Virginia is already scheduled to relax some restrictions on May 15 by allowing up to 100 people at indoor gatherings and 250 people at outdoor gatherings. Entertainment venues will be able to operate at 50% capacity indoors, up to 1,000 people, and 50% outdoors with no cap.

The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Virginia has steadily dropped over the last two weeks and the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are the lowest since October, Northam said. Nearly 46% of people in the state have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. 

“That’s a big deal after a hard year,” he said.