HATFIELD-MCCOY
TRAILS REOPENING
On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that as part of his statewide reopening
plan, West Virginia
Strong – The Comeback, the Hatfield-McCoy Trail
System will be permitted to open, with limitations, on Thursday, May 21,
2020.
“I’ve gotten an awful lot of feedback from a lot of different people,
from our tourism people, to medical experts, to people from other
states,” Gov. Justice said. “We’ve weighed a lot of different factors.
“We know how important the Hatfield-McCoy Trails to us, economically, in
the southern part of the state,” Gov. Justice continued. “I am happy
about reopening the trails but I am also concerned. There’s going to be
limitations and we’re going to enforce the limitations as best as we
possibly can.”
All public buildings and public restrooms along the trail system will
remain closed until further notice.
The trails themselves will be open for riding, provided that riders
follow the following safety guidelines:
- PPE: Riders are encouraged to
wear face masks or face shields while stopped. All riders, by law,
must wear a helmet while riding.
- Self screening: Riders are encouraged to
self screen for COVID-19 symptoms by CDC guidelines.
- Temperature checks: Riders are encouraged to
take their temperature prior to arriving at the trails. If their
temperature measures over 100 degrees, the riders are not permitted
to enter the trails.
- Sick rider: Any rider or visitor who
exhibits COVID-19 symptoms must leave the trails immediately and
seek medical care and/or COVID-19 testing, per CDC guidelines.
- Limit groups: Riders are prohibited
from congregating on the trails.
- Physical distancing: Practice proper social
distancing, including a minimum of six feet of distance where
practical and safe to do so.
- Shared vehicles: Riders are discouraged
from sharing a UTV, ATV, or off-road dirt bike with anyone outside
their immediate group or party.
- Shared equipment: Riders are discouraged
from sharing safety equipment or masks.
Additional safety
guidance available on governor.wv.gov
“Anyone who’s coming to our trails from out-of-state, we expect you to
respect us,” Gov. Justice said. “We want you to protect yourself but we
need to protect ourselves. We will watch this like a hawk.
“We cannot stay closed forever. We’ve got to try to reopen. We’ve got to
someway, somehow try to live with this disease. We’re going to be ready
to take over if things take a turn for the worse. But we’ve got to
recognize that we’ve got to move forward.” |