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COVID-19 Response Weekly Update
May 23 –
May 29
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EXECUTIVE
ORDER ISSUED THAT WILL OFFICIALLY ALLOW MAY 30 REOPENINGS
On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that he had signed the executive
order formally allowing 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:
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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 has published guidelines that all counties must follow
to keep players, coaches, and families safe. These
guidance documents are now available on governor.wv.gov.
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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.
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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.
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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.
“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.”
On Friday, the Governor announced that guidance
documents have been released, outlining the proper procedures to
safely operate similar types of auctions.
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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 had come back
positive, bringing the total number of positive inmates to 116.
No additional staff members had tested positive as of Friday
afternoon's briefing. Additional tests from the facility remain
pending at several labs across the state.
Click here
to view the latest correctional facilities testing data.
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FREE
RANDOLPH COUNTY TESTING SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY
The Governor also announced that, due to the outbreak at the
Huttonsville facility, the State will be offering free community
testing in Randolph County today, 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.
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.
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ADDITIONAL
COMMUNITY TESTING TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND
Additional
community testing is being held today,
Saturday, May 30, in Berkeley, Jefferson, Kanawha, Mineral, and
Morgan counties as follows:
BERKELEY
COUNTY
Musselman High School: 126 Excellence Way, Inwood
Saturday, May 30 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
JEFFERSON
COUNTY
Hollywood Casino: 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town
Saturday, May 30 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
KANAWHA
COUNTY
Shawnee Sports Complex: One Salango Way, Dunbar
Saturday, May 30 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
MINERAL
COUNTY
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
Saturday, May 30 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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CITY AND
COUNTY GRANT APPLICATION REMINDER
On Friday, Gov. Justice 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.
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WEST
VIRGINIANS URGED TO PARTICIPATE IN CENSUS
Finally Friday, Gov. Justice again 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.
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ALL
CORRECTIONS FACILITY INMATES AND STAFF TO BE TESTED STATEWIDE
As a result of the recent developments at the Huttonsville
facility, Gov. Justice announced Thursday that he had formally
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.
“We have enough testing capability, so we’re going to test everyone
in all of our prison facilities,” Gov. Justice said. “So we are
running to that fire and we are going to take care of it.”
Secretary Jeff Sandy of the newly-codified West Virginia Department
of Homeland Security reported during his remarks Thursday that the
current number of inmates, employees, and contractors within the
State’s correctional facilities is 13,966.
“The Governor has stated that he wants all corrections facilities
tested,” Sec. Sandy said. “We worked into the late hours last night
with the DHHR, our healthcare providers, local health departments,
and the West Virginia National Guard to lay out how we are going to
accomplish that.”
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GOV.
JUSTICE APPLAUDS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S EXTENSION OF TITLE 32 ORDERS FOR
NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS
During Gov. Justice’s media briefing Thursday, President Donald J.
Trump posted the following message on social media:
“The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great
job fighting the CoronaVirus. This week, I will extend their Title
32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help States
succeed in their response and recovery efforts.”
-President Donald J. Trump
After learning of this commitment to National Guard members across
the country, Gov. Justice commended President Trump for making this
pledge, which will also benefit West Virginia’s guardsmen and women
by allowing them to receive pay and benefits from the federal
government, while continuing their important work helping the State
respond to the ongoing pandemic.
“He’s done a fabulous job and I love him to death,” Gov. Justice
said. “This extension until mid-August is really, really good.
Basically, what this does is it rewards the members of the National
Guard with lots of extra benefits and things that they deserve.”
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INITIAL
PRISON TESTING RESULTS INSPIRE GOVERNOR TO CALL FOR TESTING OF ALL
CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
On Wednesday, Gov. Justice and leaders with the West Virginia
Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation learned that more than
100 inmates at the Huttonsville Correctional Center and Jail
in Randolph County had tested positive for COVID-19, with
additional tests from the facility pending at several labs across
the state.
As a result, the Governor announced Wednesday that he would be
directing the DCR to begin the process of fully testing all
correctional facilities across West Virginia.
“We should now go and test all the facilities – facilities that we
know that we don’t have a problem yet, but we probably only have a
limited amount of knowledge,” Gov. Justice said.
“We want to continue to try to address every potential issue,” Gov.
Justice continued. “That’s why, now, we’re going to embark on
testing everyone.”
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WEST
VIRGINIA INNOVATIONS EMERGING FROM BATTLE AGAINST COVID-19
Also on Wednesday, Gov. Justice and Maj. Gen. James Hoyer of the
West Virginia National Guard provided
an overview of several products that have
recently been developed in West Virginia to streamline and broaden
the State’s capabilities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These innovative products include all-new ventilator systems,
3D-printed testing swabs, reusable medical gowns, nationally
regarded protective masks, and Hydrogen Peroxide disinfecting
systems.
“I’ve said over and over, I could never be more proud of West
Virginia and West Virginians because they are the heart and soul of
this country,” Gov. Justice said. “At the end of the day, the very
thing that they are the greatest at is that they’re smart. They’re
innovative people, they’re creative people, they’re craftsmen, and
you see it right here with what’s happening.”
As the production of these innovative new products continues, the
West Virginia National Guard will work to build a stockpile of the
items in case a need to further ensure the safety of West
Virginians should arise in the future.
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WEEK 5 OF
“THE COMEBACK”
On Tuesday, Gov. Justice offered a reminder that the Week 5 phase
of West
Virginia Strong – The Comeback had
officially begun, meaning that several additional types of
businesses were officially permitted to reopen, with limitations.
Businesses permitted to resume operations Tuesday included:
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TESTING OF
ALL INMATES, STAFF COMPLETE AT HUTTONSVILLE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
After ordering
the full testing of all inmates and staff
at Huttonsville Correctional Center and Jail last week, Gov.
Justice reported Tuesday that the mass testing effort had been
completed.
Gov. Justice had recently announced that
an inmate and a staff member at the Huttonsville facility had
tested positive for COVID-19; the first positive tests found within
West Virginia’s corrections system.
“At first, we had just tested the block where we had the positive
inmate. But I told our people, ‘Nope, that’s not good enough. Test
the whole facility,’” Gov. Justice said. “We have now tested
everyone in the facility.”
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COMMUNITY
TESTING MADE AVAILABLE IN FAYETTE COUNTY
Also Tuesday, Gov. Justice announced that efforts to test
susceptible populations across West Virginia would be set to
continue.
Testing in
Fayette County took place from Tuesday
through Thursday at various times and locations:
Mt. Hope Fire Department: 428 Main Street, Mt. Hope
Tuesday, May 26 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Kilsyth Free Will Baptist Church: 119 Freewill Lane, Mt. Hope
Wednesday, May 27 | 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Oak Hill High School: 350 W. Oyler Avenue, Oak Hill
Thursday, May 28 | 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
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RESULTS
FROM PREVIOUS COMMUNITY TESTING ANNOUNCED
Additionally Tuesday, State Health Officer and Bureau for Public
Health Commissioner Dr. Cathy Slemp announced the results from
previous community testing efforts in Berkeley, Jefferson, Raleigh,
and Mercer counties.
Dr. Slemp reported that 2,385 individuals participated in the
testing initiative, with a total of 31 tests coming back positive.
The amount and the rate of positive tests, by county, were as
follows:
- Berkeley County: 15
positives (1.7 percent)
- Jefferson County:
15 positives (2.0 percent)
- Mercer County: 0
positives (0.0 percent)
- Raleigh County: 1
positive (0.3 percent)
“I want to
say thank you to the local health departments and the community
partners, who worked really hard, and the National Guard, who
worked to do these testing sites,” Dr. Slemp said. “We continue to
refine that process as we move to other areas of the state and come
back to visit these as well.”
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GOV.
JUSTICE OFFERS REMINDER ABOUT “WVSTRONG” 30 PERCENT DISCOUNT AT
STATE PARKS
After announcing
last week that West Virginia State Parks
will be offering a 30 percent discount on lodging for all West
Virginia residents for stays between June 1 and August 31 – called
the WVSTRONG
Discount – Gov. Justice reported Tuesday that
state parks officials have seen a 58 percent increase in
reservations this month compared to May 2019.
“You know, the pricing was already great, but now the pricing is
unbelievable,” Gov. Justice said Monday. “People are taking
advantage of this deal and booking stays at our parks and that’s
really, really great. There’s lots of good stuff going on. What
place could be better right now than going to our state parks?”
To claim the 30 percent discount on a new reservation, simply book
online at wvstateparks.com and
enter promo code WVSTRONG at
checkout.
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GOV.
JUSTICE ISSUES MEMORIAL DAY VIDEO MESSAGE
On Monday, Gov. Justice issued a
video message on his social media platforms,
wishing all West Virginians a Happy Memorial Day and honoring
all those who gave their last full measure of devotion on behalf of
our country and for our freedom.
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