Even with the coronavirus still causing sickness and death, Richmond is finally set to reopen, though gingerly and in a limited fashion, under what the state terms Phase One. It will be far from business as usual.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney, whose request for a modified reopening was rejected by Gov. Ralph S. Northam, flashed the green light Wednesday for private businesses, public operations and churches to reopen cautiously under state guidelines.

On Friday, May 29, most currently shuttered businesses — notably restaurants, retail stores, barbershops and beauty salons — will be able to unlock their doors and serve customers again, though under restrictions that include encouraging customers to wear face masks and limiting the number of patrons.

Restaurants and breweries also can offer only outdoor seating, while personal grooming shops must offer appointment- only service. Movie theaters, concert halls, bowling alleys and other entertainment and amusement venues will remain closed for now.

Then on Monday, June 1, City Hall and other city buildings will reopen, though with limited access.

For example, at City Hall in Downtown, only people with face coverings will be able to enter to pay bills, vote absentee and conduct other business solely on the first floor, officials said. Upper floors still will be off limits to the public. All city employees, including those who have been working from home, will be issued face masks.

Mayor Stoney said he felt able to move forward as a result of Gov. Northam’s order on Tuesday requiring everyone entering public buildings, using public transit or going into businesses to wear masks or some kind of covering. That order, which Mayor Stoney urged the governor to impose, is effective statewide Friday.

The opening of City Hall will bring an end to free parking at metered spaces in Downtown and other monitored parking spaces within the city, officials noted, and people who do not pay could be ticketed.

City officials also said that Richmond recreation centers and pools will remain closed for the time being. So will the Richmond Public Library system, which will, for now, remain primarily a virtual operation providing internet and computer-based access to books and other materials.

However, officials said patrons will be able to use drop boxes to return books and other items beginning Wednesday, June 3, and will be able to have contactless pickups of reserved items at that time as well.

Library entry and programming will remain closed until at least Wednesday, June 10, and possibly until later phases of reopening, officials said.

Despite continuing concern about COVID-19, Mayor Stoney believes the data and other indicators show enough progress has been made to begin reopening.

“When I look at the picture in totality, given the added tools at our disposal, the current trends in our local data, I believe that Richmond can cautiously move into Phase One,” he said.

Among other things, he and Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond City Health District, noted area hospitals have plenty of capacity to deal with the small percentage of those with the coronavirus who become seriously ill.

In addition, they noted that the number of people being tested has doubled from 70 tests a day in April to the current level of 150 tests a day, with the health district now adding more workers to trace individuals who have had contact with those who test positive.

Dr. Avula also noted the number of people testing positive for coronavirus has flattened to about 23 percent of those tested, based on the moving seven-day average. That is better than the numbers of positive results going up, but not as good as having them go down, he said.

Meanwhile, the city has worked with the health district to create quarantine rooms for people in need at area hotels.

Still, “that does not mean we are out of the woods,” Mayor Stoney said at Wednesday’s City Hall media briefing that also was livestreamed to the public. “The pandemic is not over by any means.”

He said that as of Wednesday, 1,112 city residents had tested positive for COVID-19, the majority with mild symptoms, though. Of those, nearly one-third are Latinos, Dr. Avula said, mirroring state data. In the city, the disease has killed 21 people, the mayor said, with the data listing most as African-American.

Across the state, according to state Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, the number of people testing positive for the virus topped 40,000 for the first time, with 1,281 of those dying. The data by race and ethnicity show that African-Americans comprise 14 percent of those infected, or about 5,643 cases. Latinos comprise 31 percent or 12,374 cases.

Among the dead, 253 were African-American or 20 percent; 106 were Latino or 8.3 percent, with the majority of those infected and dying being white people.

The governor imposed the face mask requirement in a heightened effort to reduce the spread of the disease as case numbers statewide continue to grow, though he was criticized for spending last Saturday in Virginia Beach without wearing a mask or practicing social distancing.

Richmond’s reopening is beginning two weeks after most localities in the state, including neighboring Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties, started on May 15.

“I stand by my decision to seek a two-week delay,” Mayor Stoney said. “I have been fighting for a safer and stronger Richmond.”

Despite the damage that holdup might have caused to various businesses, he said he put “public health and public safety first.”

“Now we begin the (reopening) journey together,” the mayor said, but at a “slow and steady pace,” which he said has been his mantra all along.

He still urged those who could to stay home, and those who go out to wear face masks. He also urged houses of worship to stay closed and use virtual services for now, but if they had to meet, to limit the number of participants.

He also urged restaurants and breweries to collect the names and phone numbers of diners in case someone later tests positive for the coronavirus. That would make it easier for the health department to track their contacts, he said.

Mayor Stoney called on the state to assist the city and its health district to further expand testing and to assist in providing more personal protection equipment, including masks and hand sanitizer.

The city Fire Department already has distributed 20,000 face masks and 20,000 bottles of hand sanitizer provided by the state, and the mayor said more would be needed.

“Quite frankly, we’re going to need more support from the state if our businesses are to reopen safely and sustainably and keep our residents safe,” Mayor Stoney said.

The city is to receive $20 million on June 1 to cover COVID-19-related expenses, including purchases of masks and hand sanitizer. According to officials, some of that money might be used to support small businesses hard hit by the disease.

The mayor said moving slowly is best. When “public health is on the line, blindly pushing forward is not an option,” he said. “Decisions must be thoughtful, and they must be based on our collective knowledge and our love for our city.”

George Copeland Jr. contributed to this article.