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COVID-19 Response Weekly Update
April
18 - April 24
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This week,
Gov. Jim Justice and State health leaders continued the fight to
slow the spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The
Justice Administration is working to keep the public informed of
the many measures being taken in the interest of protecting them
from the spread of the disease.
Additional information about COVID-19 and what West Virginia is
doing to combat the virus can be found on Coronavirus.wv.gov
or by calling the state's 24/7 hotline at 1-800-887-4304.
A list of
all of Gov. Justice's actions and executive orders related to
COVID-19 are also available online.
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On Friday,
Gov. Justice announced that discussions on ways to safely reopen
various aspects of the state and its economy continue to ramp up.
“As we move forward, I would just promise you with all my soul that
I will continue, with the experts that we’ve brought together, to
try to protect you in every way,” Gov. Justice said. “But, at the
same time, I’m also going to try every way in my power to get you
back to work and get you back to the lifestyle that you’ve become
accustomed to.”
After recently announcing
plans to bring West Virginia’s hospitals
back to full capacity by allowing elective procedures as early as
next week, Gov. Justice unveiled Friday plans to test all staff
members at West Virginia daycares so those facilities can reopen as
quickly and safely as possible.
“So that way, when you bring your children to one of our daycares,
you’ll know that component is as safe as possible,” Gov. Justice
said. “We’re going to do ongoing testing of daycare staff and we’re
going to try to come up with some ways we may be able to do
temperature testing of other people coming into these facilities.”
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The
Governor also announced that he has directed his team to look into
the safest ways to begin the process of reopening restaurants and
determine what additional safety protocols may be necessary. He
indicated the state will provide advance notice of at least a week
before the current guidelines are altered.
Gov. Justice listed some safety requirements that are currently
being considered, including limiting restaurant capacity,
implementing special spacing requirements for bars and restaurants,
increasing cleaning measures, limiting the number of people per
table, instituting temperature checks for employees, requiring
masks for cashiers and staff, providing disposable menus and
utensils, and serving beverages in cans or bottles.
Additionally, Gov. Justice said that he has directed his team to
specifically look into the possibility of easing restrictions on
outdoor dining across the state.
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Gov.
Justice also reported that, after implementing strict public health
measures in Morgan County recently, the area has seen a low number
of active cases of COVID-19.
As a result, the Governor announced Friday that he has issued an Executive
Order, removing Morgan County from the list of
COVID-19 community clusters in West Virginia.
Morgan County is still subject to all statewide restrictions,
including the ongoing statewide Stay At
Home order.
Eleven other counties across the state remain classified as
“community clusters” and remain subject to additional restrictions
as deemed necessary by their respective local health departments.
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Additionally
Friday, Gov. Justice recognized the West Virginia Department of
Military Affairs and Public Safety’s Division of Corrections and
Rehabilitation, along with inmates across the state, for their
recent efforts making masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Inmates at Lakin Correctional Center – the state’s prison for women
– as well as inmates at the Charleston Correctional Center and the
Denmar Correctional Center have been making masks with materials
supplied by the West Virginia National Guard.
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Throughout
the week, Gov. Justice alerted West Virginians to the availability
of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. PUA is an option for
additional assistance benefitting workers who would otherwise not
be eligible for unemployment compensation.
Applications for PUA opened Friday night. Qualified workers include
self-employed workers, independent contractors, workers with
insufficient work histories, gig workers, ride sharing drivers, and
more.
Click here
to view the WorkForce West Virginia website
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Twice this
week, including on Friday, Gov. Justice took part in additional
conference calls with Vice President Mike Pence, members of the
Coronavirus Task Force, and other governors across America to
update the White House on how various states are progressing in their
COVID-19 response efforts.
Gov. Justice highlighted that, according to the latest data, West
Virginia’s fatality rate remains comparatively low versus the
national average and is far below the rates seen in other
countries.
Visit
Coronavirus.wv.gov to view the most up-to-date COVID-19 testing
numbers
Also Friday, Gov. Jim Justice sent a letter to the Director of
the Federal Bureau of Prisons, urging him to reconsider a decision
to transfer out-of-state inmates to their Hazelton facility in
Preston County and to their facility in Gilmer
County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click here
to read the letter on the Governor's website
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On
Thursday, Gov. Justice announced that staff from Workforce
West Virginia, with assistance from members of the West Virginia
National Guard, have successfully cleared the massive backlog of
unemployment claims that had been submitted over the past several
weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 150,000 unemployment claims have been filed since March 1
this year. For perspective, in a typical year, WorkForce West
Virginia receives an average of approximately 3,400 claims in the
month of March.
“I can’t say enough for how we’ve pounded a massive round peg into
a square hole in West Virginia and been able to punch out all these
claims,” Gov. Justice said. “I hate like crazy that they didn’t all
come out on day one. But all the people that were sitting at home
worried, I hope there’s real-live relief coming your way and that
all your dollars are going to be backfilled and taken care of.”
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Gov.
Justice also reported that the West Virginia Department of Health
and Human Resources and West Virginia National Guard continue to
work around the clock to test all nursing home residents and staff
members statewide for COVID-19, announcing that he expects all
testing to be complete by the middle of next week.
“They’ve done amazing work in testing the nursing homes and they
are proceeding ahead very, very quickly,” Gov. Justice said. “It’s
a monumental task if you think about it. We had tested 22,000
people in 40 days and now we’re going out and testing 28,000 people
in a very, very concise period.
“And we’re getting better results than what I’d feared,” Gov.
Justice said. “And this program, with West Virginia being first in
the nation to do it, you see, if you watch the national news, the
CDC and everybody's coming out and saying we should be doing this
on a national basis.”
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Gov.
Justice also recognized the work of the West Virginia Department of
Commerce, specifically the West Virginia Small Business Development
Center, helping to support small businesses across the state during
the ongoing Stay At Home order.
“We have assisted with 2,000 businesses in the state of West
Virginia, as far as helping them and guiding them through the
wickets,” Gov. Justice said. “There’s all kinds of stuff that we
have up on our website to help small businesses and, I think, very
soon, we’re going to have another tranche of federal money that’s
opening up to cover the small businesses that were missed on the
first go-around.”
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During his
remarks, the Governor also provided an update on the Roads to
Prosperity program and the statewide secondary road maintenance
initiative. Work by the Department of Transportation has continued
through the pandemic, with appropriate safety precautions in place.
The Governor announced Thursday
that bids have been awarded for more than three dozen road
construction and paving projects across the state, worth more than
$125 million combined. He also announced that this year’s roadwork
plan, which will outline the State’s plans for the paving season,
will be released very soon.
“We’re going to absolutely jump on every pothole, the pulling of
every ditch, and we’re going to just stay after it until we get
this thing across the finish line,” Gov. Justice said. “We all know
that our roads got in this condition by decades of neglect. But my
administration has directed more money to roads than ever before in
our history. We’ve gotten right after it and we’ve done it without
raising taxes.”
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Gov.
Justice once again reminded all West Virginians to take the
opportunity to complete 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 ten years for the
state and its local communities. The funds can go toward things
like healthcare, education, infrastructure, school lunch programs,
and more.
Respond to the Census online at 2020census.gov.
Also on Thursday, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human
Resources’ Bureau for Public Health filed two orders to implement
additional measures regarding the reporting and publishing of
COVID-19 data.
The rule changes will allow for collection of additional data to
assist in the implementation of public health programs and help
control the spread of COVID-19. One order requires
the reporting of any COVID-19 positive individual who died with the
disease and another
order gives DHHR’s Bureau for Public
Health the ability to publicly identify long-term care facilities
with COVID-19 positive cases among residents and/or
employees.
Click here
to read more
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, in conjunction
with Secretary of State Mac Warner, issued an alert to West
Virginia voters Thursday concerning the increased potential of
election fraud due to broad access to absentee ballots for the June
9 primary election.
The leaders’ concerns largely relate to the ability of fraudsters
to steal or manipulate absentee ballots now that more people will
use a mail-in, absentee ballot due to social distancing concerns
driven by the coronavirus pandemic.
Click here
to read more about spotting the signs of absentee voter fraud
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Also on
Thursday, Gov. Justice participated in a virtual Town Hall on
WSAZ-TV to discuss the State's progress in fighting to slow the
spread of COVID-19 across West Virginia. The Governor was joined by
West Virginia Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh, Department of Health
and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch, State Superintendent of
Schools Clayton Burch, and WorkForce West Virginia Acting
Commissioner Scott Adkins.
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During the
Town Hall Thursday, Gov. Justice received a personal phone call from
President Donald J. Trump to once again discuss West Virginia's
progress with limiting the spread of COVID-19. While on the call,
Gov. Justice reported to President Trump that West Virginia's
numbers remain among the lowest in the country, but expressed the
need for more personal protective equipment in the event that a
potential future spike should occur.
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Additionally
Thursday, Gov. Justice made a national television news
appearance on the Fox News show, The Story with Martha MacCallum,
to discuss plans to potentially reopen various aspects of the state
and West Virginia's success in limiting the spread of the
disease.
“We use all the advice that's coming from the federal government,
from the Trump Administration, but we have really smart people here
that are innovative in their thinking, we've got real experts,”
Gov. Justice said. “There's so many things where we've pushed the
right buttons at the right time, not patting myself on the back in
any way, West Virginians have risen to this situation as they have
done so many times. I give them all the credit in the world.”
Watch Gov.
Justice's full interview here (segment begins at 15:20)
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On
Wednesday, Gov. Justice highlighted several aspects of the State of
West Virginia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic that are setting
new precedents for the entire country.
The Governor recognized the West Virginia National Guard for
becoming the first National Guard in the country to be approved by
the U.S. Department of Defense to provide mobile testing for
COVID-19.
The WVNG established
two COVID-19 mobile testing laboratories, which
were activated for use Wednesday. The units will be primarily
stationed in Charleston and Morgantown.
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This comes
just days after West Virginia became the
first state in the country to begin testing all
nursing home residents and staff members statewide.
Wednesday, the Gov. Justice announced that recent testing of 120
people at the veterans nursing home in Barboursville resulted in
just one positive case. The proactive testing allowed officials to
move quickly in efforts to limit the spread.
“That tickles me to death because we had a few breakouts at nursing
homes that were very, very alarming,” Gov. Justice said. “That’s
why we went on this crusade to test everybody – something that had
never been done in the nation before. Now, many, many states are
following suit and, in fact, I’ve been told the CDC is on the verge
of making that recommendation nationwide.”
Gov. Justice also highlighted a recent study that ranked West
Virginia as the #1 state in the nation for carrying out the best
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It just came out the other day and, of all things, it should maybe
be the thing we’re most proud of,” Gov. Justice said. “West
Virginia was recognized for being first in the nation in the way
that we have handled this thus far. And we need to continue to be
first in the nation on how we decide to bring our people back as
quickly and safely as we possibly can.”
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With
low-interest loan packages from the federal government set to soon
come in to small businesses to help keep their operations afloat,
Gov. Justice provided a message to small business owners across
West Virginia.
“Many of you probably do not think you have business interruption
insurance,” Gov. Justice said. “And the insurance companies,
especially the great, big, gigantic insurance companies they would
look right at you and say ‘You don’t have any coverage.’ Don’t stop
there. Get your best accountant, your best lawyer, your very best
advisor and push it to the limit because many of you have coverage
and you don’t know you’ve got it.”
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Also
Wednesday, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE)
announced that they have postponed the 2020 Governor’s Schools
planned for this summer. The Department organizes six residential
academies each summer as part of this program to provide deep
learning opportunities for students from grades 8-12.
Each year, the WVDE holds the Governor’s Schools at West Virginia
college and university campuses and state facilities. West Virginia
University and Marshall University have both announced that they
will cancel on-site courses and resort to online instruction only
this summer. Therefore, the venues will no longer be available.
Next year – summer 2021 – the WVDE will double the number of
programs offered to make sure that those students selected this
year will still be able to participate. The exception will be the
Governor’s Honors Academy. Since rising seniors attend this
program, they will likely be unavailable next summer as they
prepare for the next phases of their lives. Therefore, the WVDE
hopes to host weekend experiences and recognitions this fall to
celebrate their accomplishments.
Click here
to read more
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On
Tuesday, Gov. Justice announced that all pre-kindergarten
through 12th grade schools in West Virginia will remain closed for
the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year.
“I was really hopeful and I tried in every way to get us to where
we would be able to go back to school because I know how much the
kids would appreciate it...just the excitement of the kids going
back and seeing their friends and their teachers,” Gov. Justice
said. “But I’ve promised you over and over that I would never put
you in a position that could be harmful. I promised that I would
try to protect you in every way. And the bottom line is that this
is what we have to do to protect everyone.”
School buildings and facilities will remain closed while remote
learning continues through the end of the school year. Meal
delivery programs for students will also continue to operate
through the end of the school year.
Gov. Justice also encouraged all schools statewide to begin looking
for ways to safely hold graduation ceremonies to celebrate the
academic accomplishments of outgoing seniors across West Virginia.
“We need to graduate our seniors,” Gov. Justice said. “I would urge
each and every school to try to find a way, over the course of the
summer, to celebrate their accomplishments.”
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State
Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch joined the Governor on
Tuesday for the announcement, announcing that a Graduation Task
Force consisting of West Virginia Board of Education members,
county administrators, state PTA members, educators, and WVDE
staff, will work to address issues related to high school
graduations and creating a smooth transition for graduates moving
toward the next phases of their lives.
Counties will work with their boards of education and local health
departments to determine details around graduation ceremonies which
may look very different than in years past. The WVDE will post
updated school calendar information this week at wvde.us/COVID19.
Superintendent Burch also provided additional updates on ways the
West Virginia Department of Education and others are working to
improve opportunities for students during this challenging time.
“The College Board has come forward. They’re going to make sure
there are no gaps in children who are taking the AP Exam, they’re
going to make sure those are available to them,” Superintendent
Burch said. “The Higher Education Policy Commission has come
forward to help us make sure all dual credits are complete – that
all students finish that. We are also making sure that all children
that are in a CTE program have the ability to finish and become a
CTE completer.”
Burch also announced that the WVDE is going to cover the cost of
all virtual school for high school students this summer and
reported that any junior who missed the SAT will be able to take
the exam in the fall for free.
Click here
to read more
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Gov.
Justice also discussed students in higher education who are in-line
to receive money from the federal government. The Governor said
that while the money has not been distributed to the State yet, it
is expected soon. And once it arrives, the funding will be
distributed quickly.
“I know college students and their families are eager to receive
these funds,” Gov. Justice said. “Higher Education Policy
Commission Chancellor Sarah Tucker has assured me that as soon as
our colleges and universities receive the money from the federal
government, they will be distributing it to the students.”
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Additionally,
Gov. Justice provided an update on the rate of West Virginians who
have been tested for COVID-19, announcing that West Virginia has
now passed up all of its bordering states in terms of the
percentage of the overall population that has been tested. In fact,
as of Tuesday, West Virginia’s testing rate exceeded the national
average.
“For those of you concerned that West Virginia is not testing,
that’s not true,” Gov. Justice said. “We’re absolutely testing and
we’re aggressively after that.”
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Also on
Tuesday, Gov. Justice was interviewed on the national radio
program, Breitbart
News Daily, about West Virginia's early success in
fighting the spread of COVID-19.
“We’ve been really proactive,” Gov. Justice said in the interview.
“We’ve got the least number of cases east of the Mississippi River
and we’re within a rock’s throw of two-thirds of the population of
this whole country.
“We declared a State of Emergency before we ever had a positive
case,” Gov. Justice continued. “We did a lot of things, in terms of
pushing the right buttons, and I think that’s more of a blessing
from the good Lord because we happened to be a good bit ahead of
the curve.
“My read was really simple, and it was that there’s no way in the
world the President of the United States of America is going to
shut down the engine of America [the economy] unless he knows this
thing is really, really potentially devastating beyond belief. And
so, my read on that was to jump out ahead and act as proactively as
I could.”
Listen to
Gov. Justice’s full interview here
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In
response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Justice and
the West Virginia DHHR Office of Drug Control Policy announced a
free smartphone app to reduce isolation and offer support resources
to West Virginians with Substance Use Disorder.
The Connections
app will allow treatment providers across the state to stay
connected and engaged with their patients.
“Over the past few years, we’ve made tremendous progress in our
fight against the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. We’ve given
people struggling with addiction real hope and access to
opportunities like never before,” Gov. Justice said. “But, as we’ve
had to separate from each other to try to slow the spread of the
coronavirus, it’s been really tough on those who may truly need the
support of others to stay on a path toward recovery.
“We need to do everything in our power to keep helping these people
move forward in their lives, not backward. That’s exactly what this
app is going to allow us to do.”
Click here
to read more
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey also issued a
consumer alert Tuesday, warning of a CARES Act stimulus check scam.
Nearly every American is set to receive such a check. The CARES Act
provides a check for $1,200 for most adults, $2,400 for most
couples, and $500 per child per household.
The Attorney General alerted consumers that thieves may call,
email, and text West Virginians. They falsely claim people must
first provide their bank account, Social Security number, or other
personally identifiable information to receive the checks.
Click here
to read more
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On Monday,
Gov. Justice announced that an effort to test all residents
and staff members at every nursing home in West Virginia began this
morning.
The action came after the Governor’s Executive
Order last week made West Virginia the
first state in the nation to require all-inclusive nursing home
testing statewide.
“I’ve been assured over and over from our National Guard and from
DHHR that we can accomplish this in a week,” Gov. Justice said.
“That would be an incredible feat. But I tell you, West Virginia,
we’re going to come back with data, sure as I know my name, that’s
not as good as we want it to be. But what it will do is it will
lead us to save a whole lot more lives.
“What we’re going to do is a task that no one has ever taken on,”
Gov. Justice continued. “But we’re going to have real, live data
that we hope will help us to isolate and treat people, even those
who may not have symptoms yet.”
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Gov.
Justice also announced that he would be filing an Executive
Order, outlining the process for hospitals
across West Virginia to apply to resume elective medical
procedures, provided that certain safety thresholds are met.
The earliest hospitals will be able to restart elective
medical procedures is Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
“One of the things we have to do to restart our state is to restart
the elective medical procedures at our hospitals,” Gov. Justice
said. “Hospitals will apply to DHHR for review. Then, from
that point forward, we will decide ‘yes, you’re prepared’ or ‘no,
you’re not.’”
Before elective medical procedures can resume, hospitals must have
a plan in place to safely phase-in procedures based on clinical
judgement, while following all CDC guidelines. They must also have
adequate inventories of personal protective equipment (PPE) and a
plan to respond if there is a surge of COVID-19 patients in the
future.
The Governor’s order will give each hospital the discretion to
determine the best time to restart elective medical procedures at
their facility.
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Additionally,
Gov. Justice made a national television news appearance on the
Fox News show, Your
World with Neil Cavuto, to discuss West Virginia's
progress with limiting the spread of COVID-19.
“We've punched a lot of right buttons and I’m not patting myself on
the back because I’m surrounded by the greatest experts on the
planet,” Gov. Justice said.
“On March 12th we stopped visitation to our nursing homes, we
issued a travel ban, we canceled the state basketball tournament –
and my team is playing in it that very evening. On the 13th we
closed the schools and on the 16th we put out a State of Emergency
before we ever had one positive case in our state. And then we
closed our restaurants and bars when we had our first positive.
“We’ve kept our numbers really, really low in an area where we're
within a rocks throw of two-thirds of the population of this
country.”
Watch Gov.
Justice's full interview here
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On Friday,
Gov. Justice and the West Virginia Department of Transportation
announced the opening of the McClanahan Bridge, a Roads to
Prosperity project, in Putnam County.
“I promised West Virginians that my Roads to Prosperity program
would modernize our transportation system and boost our economy
through billions of dollars in new construction and maintenance
work on our existing roads and bridges,” Gov. Justice said. “Today,
another one of the hundreds of construction projects made possible
by Roads To Prosperity has been completed and we are excited that
this bridge that provides critical access in Putnam County has been
replaced and is open again to our motorists.”
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On Friday,
Gov. Justice and the DOT announced that an online map of the
state’s roadwork plan for 2020 is now available.
“This map allows citizens to view planned roadwork in their area
and across the state,” Gov. Justice said. “It not only reflects
projects that are underway but those that will begin later this
year as well. This gives our residents throughout West Virginia
information on just how committed I am, along with the DOT and DOH,
to continue to properly maintain and modernize our transportation
system.”
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The West
Virginia Division of Forestry announced the winners of the 2020
Arbor Day poster contest for fourth and fifth grade students.
The winners are Lauren Pleska, fourth grade, Sacred Heart Grade
School in Charleston, Kanawha County; and Aimee Baker, fifth grade,
homeschooled in Union, Monroe County.
Schools in West Virginia were able to submit one entry from the
fourth grade and one from the fifth grade.
The theme chosen for the year must have been incorporated into the
poster. This year’s theme “Trees are Terrific … in the Right Place”
draws attention to the hazards of growing a tree in a space that is
wrong for it, such as under power lines.
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On
Wednesday, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human
Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Children and Families announced the
availability of a one-time special assistance payment, Pandemic
Diversionary Cash Assistance (PDCA), as part of the state’s ongoing
response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Applicants must not be currently participating in WV WORKS.
Applicants must have a dependent child in the home; low or no
income due to COVID-19; expect to return to previous employment, have
a job offer, or expect future income from another source; and must
not currently be sanctioned for non-compliance in a BCF program.
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In an
effort to help teachers, youth group leaders, and other educators
during the COVID-19 pandemic, the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection (WVDEP) announced Wednesday that its
launching playlists on its YouTube channel, “Environment Matters.”
The listings are filled with educational videos that cover a wide
range of state environmental topics from water issues and
conservation to mining and reclamation to pollution prevention.
Dubbed the “WVDEP Classroom Series,” the playlists are a collection
of previous “Environment Matters” stories. They will be grouped by
topic and can serve as a resource for teachers looking for fun,
informative videos to share with their students while working
remotely.
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