COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice signs order formalizing May 30 reopenings; WVSSAC athletics and additional sports scheduled to resume

​CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice joined West Virginia health leaders and other officials today for his latest daily press briefing regarding the State’s COVID-19 response.

EXECUTIVE ORDER ISSUED THAT WILL OFFICIALLY ALLOW MAY 30 REOPENINGS
On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that he has signed the executive order that will formally allow businesses, currently scheduled to reopen in the May 30 phase of the Governor’s reopening plan, to resume operations on that date if they so choose.

Businesses allowed to reopen, with limitations, on May 30 include:  

• Spas and massage businesses​ (Safety guidelines)
• Limited video lottery retailers (Safety guidelines)
• Swimming pools (Safety guidelines)
• Bowling alleys, pool halls, roller rinks, and other places with indoor amusement​ (Safety guidelines)

The order will go into effect on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 12:01 a.m.

WVSSAC ATHLETICS SCHEDULED TO RESUME
Gov. Justice also announced Friday that, at the advice of state medical experts, WVSSAC-sanctioned high school and middle school athletics programs and bands will be allowed to resume their summer training programs, beginning on Monday, June 8.

The WVSSAC will publish guidelines that all counties must follow to keep players, coaches, and families safe. These guidance documents are now available on governor.wv.gov.

“I have worked very closely with the WVSSAC, they’ve done great work,” Gov. Justice said. “Their executive director, Bernie Dolan, should be really commended as well as our State Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch, they have worked hand-in-hand with one another.”

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR RESUMING YOUTH SPORTS, REOPENING OTHER SPORTS VENUES 
Gov. Justice announced Friday that all low-contact outdoor youth sports and little league organizations will also be permitted to resume practices on June 8.

All remaining adult sports facilities will be permitted to reopen on June 8, provided that all additional safety guidelines are properly followed. Venues allowed to reopen include indoor tennis courts, racquetball courts, outdoor basketball courts, and others.

Youth sports games with spectators, outdoor sporting events with spectators, and outdoor equestrian events with spectators will all be allowed to resume on Monday, June 22, with strict social distancing guidelines in place.

Guidance documents will be posted to governor.wv.gov as soon as they become available.

GUIDANCE FOR MOVIE THEATERS NOW AVAILABLE
Additionally Friday, Gov. Justice announced that guidance documents for the reopening of movie theaters​ are now available.

Movie theaters are scheduled to reopen on Friday, June 5 as part of the Week 6 phase of the Governor’s reopening plan. Casinos are also permitted to resume operations on June 5.

Week 5 of the Gov. Justice reopening plan – West Virginia Strong – The Comeback – is now underway and announcements regarding future reopenings have been made. The Governor's new Safer At Home order is also in effect. 

GOVERNOR DISCUSSES RECENT JACKSON COUNTY LIVESTOCK AUCTION
Also Friday, Gov. Justice discussed a recent livestock auction in Jackson County that featured a large crowd of people gathering together.

“We have absolutely deemed our farmer markets and our livestock auctions essential,” Gov. Justice said. “But we had a recent livestock auction in Jackson County and something like 700 people came to it. We had 700 people jammed in together. What happened from that, at least right now that we know of, and there were probably a bunch of people there from out-of-state, but from that event, we have at least two positive cases that have come up.

“Look, I keep telling everybody that we’ve got to be smart,” Gov. Justice continued. “We absolutely cannot jam everybody into a shelter like we did in Jackson County, and I know it’s happened in other places.

“We have got to maintain some level of social distancing if we’re going to be able to come to these kind of events or do this kind of stuff, or it’s going to backfire on us. We have got to follow the guidelines. We have got to do the stuff that will make us the safest so we’ll be able to live our lives.”

Today, the Governor announced that guidance documents have been released, outlining the proper procedures to safely operate similar types of auctions.

CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES TESTING UPDATE
On Friday, Gov. Justice provided an update on COVID-19 test results from Huttonsville Correctional Center and Jail in Randolph County, announcing that five more inmates’ test results have come back positive, bringing the total number of positive inmates to 116.

No additional staff members have tested positive. Additional tests from the facility remain pending at several labs across the state.

Click here to view the latest correctional facilities testing data

As a result of the recent developments at the Huttonsville facility, Gov. Justice announced yesterday that he has ordered all inmates and employees at every corrections facility across West Virginia to be tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible, as a precautionary measure in efforts to curtail the spread of the virus.

FREE RANDOLPH COUNTY TESTING SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW
The Governor also announced that, due to the outbreak at the Huttonsville facility, the State will be offering free community testing in Randolph County tomorrow, Saturday, May 30.

This optional, free testing is especially recommended for high-risk individuals, including minority populations and those with pre-existing health conditions. However, the testing is available to all residents, including asymptomatic individuals.

“If you’re feeling anxious in any way and you think you should be tested, please come out and take advantage of this. It won’t cost you a dime,” Gov. Justice said. “It takes every bit of 10 seconds to do it. I encourage anyone with any concerns, whatsoever, to come and get tested.”

Testing in Randolph County will be available from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at two locations. Details are as follows:

ELKINS
Davis Medical Center: 812 Gorman Avenue, Elkins
Saturday, May 30  |  10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

MILL CREEK
Valley HealthCare: 46 Town Center Plaza, Suite A, Mill Creek
Saturday, May 30  |  10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY TESTING TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND
Additional community testing is being held today and tomorrow in Berkeley, Jefferson, Kanawha, Mineral, and Morgan counties as follows:

BERKELEY COUNTY
Musselman High School: 126 Excellence Way, Inwood
Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

JEFFERSON COUNTY
Hollywood Casino: 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town
Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

KANAWHA COUNTY
Shawnee Sports Complex: One Salango Way, Dunbar
Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

MINERAL COUNTY
American Legion Piedmont: 10 Green Street, Piedmont
Friday, May 29  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
School Complex: 1123 Harley O. Staggers Senior Drive, Keyser
Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

MORGAN COUNTY
Warm Springs Middle School: 271 Warm Springs Way, Berkeley Springs
Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

CITY AND COUNTY GRANT APPLICATION REMINDER
The Governor once again offered a reminder that the State recently sent out the application for cities and counties throughout West Virginia to apply for funding through the federal CARES Act.

A new web portal is now available for city and county government officials to apply for this grant funding, at grants.wv.gov. Interested parties can also call the helpline: 1-833-94-GRANT.

“We’ve got checks coming out and they’re going out just as fast as we can possibly kick them out of the door,” Gov. Justice said. “We encourage all of the cities and all of the counties to get the applications as quickly as you possibly can and we’ll get you dollars as quickly as we possibly can get them to you.”

WEST VIRGINIANS URGED TO PARTICIPATE IN CENSUS
Once more today, Gov. Justice asked all West Virginians to participate in the 2020 United States Census.

Every West Virginian who does not respond to the Census represents a loss of $20,000 in federal funds over the next 10 years for the state and its local communities. The funds can go toward things like healthcare, education, infrastructure, school lunch programs, and more.

Be counted in minutes: 2020census.gov.

DATA UPDATE
Gov. Justice provided another overview of statewide data on COVID-19, highlighting that West Virginia’s daily percentage of positive test results dropped to 0.95 percent, while the state’s cumulative percentage of positive test results also dropped to 2.09 percent, the lowest marks in these categories since the recent spike in cases at Huttonsville Correctional Center.

Additionally, Gov. Justice noted that West Virginia has not experienced any deaths from COVID-19 in the past two days.

West Virginia continues to excel in several metrics compared to its surrounding states and the national average. View the latest COVID-19 data at Coronavirus.wv.gov.

“All these numbers are good,” Gov. Justice said. “But I keep going back to one thing: we are absolutely the most vulnerable state in the country.

“We absolutely are trying, in every way, to get ourselves reopened and to give ourselves more of the liberties that we had at one time in our lives back,” Gov. Justice continued. “But we’ve got to be smart. We’ve got to stay on top of our game and we will weather this storm.”

WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD UPDATE
Click here to read more about all the WVNG’s response efforts

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Click here to view all Executive Orders and other actions taken by Gov. Justice to combat the spread of COVID-19 in West Virginia.

For more information about COVID-19 prevention and more, call the State’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or visit Coronavirus.wv.gov.