Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said at his regular press briefing in Richmond Tuesday he will comply with the latest request of 10 Northern Virginia political leaders to enter Phase 1 of his plan for reopening the economy in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That reopening will involve allowing retailers and restaurateurs, as well beauty salons and barber shops, to open on limited bases as of this Friday.

Northern Virginia had been held back from entering Phase 1, which most of the rest of Virginia did last Friday, based on higher numbers of infections in this area.

Now, however, those numbers have trended downward for the last 14 days and last weekend regional leaders submitted a new letter asking Northam to permit the region’s entry into Phase 1.