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.
View the latest COVID-19 data at Coronavirus.wv.gov.
WEEK 7 OF “THE COMEBACK” NOW UNDERWAY
During today’s briefing, Gov. Justice offered a reminder that the Week 7 phase of West Virginia Strong – The Comeback officially began today, meaning that several additional types of operations are now permitted to reopen, provided that all safety guidelines are being properly followed.
Operations permitted to resume operations today, Monday, June 8, include:
Low-contact outdoor youth sports practices
WVSSAC-sanctioned athletics and band summer training programs
Little league sports practices
All remaining adult sports facilities including indoor tennis courts, racquetball courts, outdoor basketball courts, and similar venues
Businesses included in each phase of this reopening plan are not required to resume operations on any specific date. This plan provides the option for reopening, not a requirement.
EXECUTIVE ORDER: ALLOWING JUNE 10 REOPENINGS & UPDATING GOLF RESTRICTIONS
Also on Monday, Gov. Justice announced that he has signed the executive order that will formally permit all entities scheduled to reopen this coming Wednesday, June 10, to do so.
On June 10, private campgrounds as well as state park campgrounds, cabins, and lodges will be permitted to reopen to out-of-state guests, provided that their stays do not exceed seven days. However, the seven-day restriction does not apply to individuals who maintain a semi-permanent or permanent resident at such campgrounds.
The same executive order also modifies the restriction to the number of people who can occupy a golf cart at once. A previous order mandated a limit of one individual per cart for anyone not residing together. But now, the latest safety guidelines for low-contact sports permit the shared use of golf carts by those who reside together or those who traveled to the golf course together.
SUMMER YOUTH CAMPS ALLOWED TO RESUME ON JUNE 22
Also Monday, Gov. Justice announced that summer youth camps may resume operations on Monday, June 22, provided that all additional guidelines are followed to help keep West Virginians as safe as possible.
Both day camps and overnight camps will be permitted to reopen.
Further safety guidance will be provided on The Comeback page of the Governor’s website as soon as possible.
OUTDOOR, OPEN-AIR CONCERTS ALLOWED TO RESUME AT FAIRS AND FESTIVALS ONLY ON JULY 1
Additionally on Monday, Gov. Justice announced that outdoor, open-air concerts at fairs and festivals only will be allowed to resume, along with the reopening of fairs and festivals themselves on Wednesday, July 1, provided that strict safety guidelines are being properly followed.
Further safety guidance will be provided on The Comeback page of the Governor’s website as soon as possible.
NEW WHITEWATER RAFTING GUIDANCE EFFECTIVE JUNE 10
Also on Monday, updated safety guidelines for whitewater rafting businesses were posted on the Governor’s website. The new guidelines will go into effect on Wednesday, June 10, and will supersede all previously released guidelines.
Under the new guidelines, whitewater rafting groups will be limited to eight guests and one guide per raft.
IN CALL WITH VICE PRESIDENT PENCE AND GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA, GOV. JUSTICE CELEBRATES THE GOODNESS OF WEST VIRGINIA
Gov. Justice explained that, prior to his address today, he took part in another videoconference call with Vice President Mike Pence and governors from across the United States to discuss the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to thanking the Vice President along with President Donald J. Trump and his entire administration for their tireless work in fighting COVID-19, Gov. Justice also described what he called a “miracle” happening in West Virginia.
“The West Virginia miracle is just this – we don’t have oceans or Great Lakes on our borders. We’re sitting right in the middle of a hotbed, with border counties all the way around our state,” Gov. Justice said. “We’re within a rock’s throw of two-thirds of the population of this country. We have a total number of deaths in our state, right now, of 84. We’re the most vulnerable, the most high-risk, but we have 84 deaths and only a 1.92 percent cumulative rate of positive test results. It’s really unbelievable.
“We were the first state in the nation to order the full testing of all of our nursing homes and our assisted living facilities,” Gov. Justice continued. “We also don’t have a single death in any of our correctional facilities and, on top of all of this, our economy in this state is still on solid ground.
“I said to all the states on the call: ‘Look at what has happened right here in West Virginia. We are the example of goodness. We are the very place that all of you should come to.’
“That’s exactly what I told them because I am so proud of what West Virginians have done.”
WEST VIRGINIA STRONG SUMMER FOOD ASSISTANCE MAP
Also Monday, Gov. Justice reminded West Virginians that, through a multi-agency effort between the West Virginia National Guard, the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services, the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD), and the United Way, an interactive free-feeding location map is now available to all West Virginians.
If food distribution locations aren’t available in some communities, individuals are encouraged to call 211 for further assistance.
UPDATE ON STATEWIDE TESTING OF CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
Gov. Justice also provided an update from the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation on the Enhanced Testing initiative, recently ordered by Gov. Justice, to test all inmates and employees within the State’s network of correctional facilities for COVID-19.
The Governor announced that, as of Monday morning, positive cases of COVID-19 have been found in four jails: Eastern Regional, North Central Regional, Potomac Highlands Regional, and Tygart Valley Regional. Each of these facilities has one positive case at this time.
Additionally, there are two prisons with positive cases: Huttonsville Correctional Center and Martinsburg Correctional Center.
All of the positive inmates are being isolated in their respective facilities and are in good-to-fair condition.
At this time, no positive cases have been discovered at any of West Virginia’s juvenile centers or community corrections centers. Additionally, no new positive cases have been discovered among corrections employees.
The Division of Corrections remains on track to expand testing to all facilities by June 12.
FREE COMMUNITY TESTING: GREENBRIER, HANCOCK, LOGAN, AND WOOD COUNTIES
Gov. Justice also offered a reminder that free community COVID-19 testing will be provided this Friday, June 12, and this Saturday, June 13, in Greenbrier, Hancock, Logan, and Wood counties.
The effort is part of a plan to provide free optional testing to all residents in several counties that are experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 transmission. It targets residents who have struggled to be seen by a physician or do not have insurance to pay for testing. However, other residents, including those who are asymptomatic are welcome to be tested.
Testing is scheduled as follows:
Greenbrier County
Friday, June 12 & Saturday, June 13
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Dorie Miller Park, 2300 Rosewood Avenue, Co Route 32/1, Lewisburg, WV 24901
Hancock County
Friday, June 12 & Saturday, June 13
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Weirton Event Center, 3322 East Street, Weirton, WV 26062
Logan County
Friday, June 12 & Saturday, June 13
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cora Volunteer Fire Department, 28 Aldridge Branch, Logan, WV 25601
Wood County
Friday, June 12 & Saturday, June 13
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Parkersburg High School, 2101 Dudley Avenue, Parkersburg, WV 26101
FREE COMMUNITY TESTING: GRANT, HAMPSHIRE, AND HARDY COUNTIES
Additionally, Gov. Justice offered a reminder that free community COVID-19 testing will also be provided only this Saturday, June 13, in Grant, Hampshire, and Hardy counties.
Testing is scheduled as follows:
Grant County
Saturday, June 13
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
EA Hawse Health Center, 64 Hospital Drive #5, Petersburg, WV 26847
Hampshire County
Saturday, June 13
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
EA Hawse Health Center, 22338 North Western Turnpike, Romney, WV 26757
Hardy County (Three locations)
Saturday, June 13
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
EA Hawse Health Center, 17978 WV 55, Baker, WV 26801
EA Hawse Health Center, 8 Lee Street #127, Moorefield, WV 26836
EA Hawse Health Center, 106 Harold K. Michael Drive, Mathias, WV 26812
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.
WEST VIRGINIANS URGED TO PARTICIPATE IN CENSUS
Once again 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.
WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD TASKFORCE SUSTAINMENT KEEPS SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT FLOWING
More than 100 Soldiers and Airmen from the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) assigned to Taskforce Sustainment continue to play an integral role in supplying much-needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and additional provisions to first responders and medical professionals, and to assist with additional supply and manpower operations throughout West Virginia as COVID-19 pandemic response efforts endure.
In early March, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep across the United States and West Virginia, one of the first lines of effort identified was to rapidly push much needed stock supplies of PPE to first responder agencies and medical professionals across the Mountain State. In order to assist with this effort, the WVNG established Taskforce Sustainment.
Headquartered at the Rock Branch facility in Poca, the taskforce began daily distribution of PPE supplies to all 55 counties in the state. Working with their counterparts from other state agencies, soldiers would arrive at the Rock Branch facility early each morning, load their vehicles with supplies that had been sorted and packaged the previous night, and then head out in a spider web of delivery points from Wheeling to Martinsburg to Bluefield and all points in between.
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.
