Gov. Justice participates in call with Vice President Pence on coronavirus

News Release
March 3, 2020

Will hold roundtable meeting on continued COVID-19 preparations

CHARLESTON, WV – As Gov. Jim Justice and his administration continue to monitor and prepare for the emerging threat of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Governor and Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bill Crouch today participated in a national briefing call with Vice President Mike Pence and officials with the Trump Administration.

Gov. Justice will hold a roundtable meeting with members of his administration and medical experts from across West Virginia on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the State Capitol to provide updates from the State, answer questions, and to make certain the State is continuing to proactively prepare for the potential community spread of COVID-19.

“For over a month, I’ve been meeting regularly with my administration, closely monitoring this disease and working on our plans to be proactive in our fight against it,” Gov. Justice said. “Now, with more cases emerging in America, we are additionally bringing together members of my administration, medical experts, and community leaders to make double sure we’re coordinated with our precautionary measures and to make triple sure we’re doing all we can to keep West Virginians safe.”

Currently, West Virginia has no cases of COVID-19. Most West Virginians are unlikely to be exposed to COVID-19 at this time, and the immediate health risk is low. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), early preparation is key to mitigating any potential community spread.

Participants in the roundtable meeting will include Gov. Justice, leaders from the Governor’s administration, experts in the medical community, leadership from various hospitals across the state, emergency management officials, and others.

The purpose of the meeting will be to loop in these medical experts on preparations State officials already have underway, while also allowing for the medical experts to share their insights into COVID-19 and answer any questions they may have. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to reinforce lines of communication between government officials and medical experts to help disseminate any new information quickly.

“Make no mistake, this disease has been and will continue to be the absolute top priority for myself and my entire administration,” Gov. Justice said. “We are blessed to have incredible medical minds in West Virginia, and we’re going to continue to lean on our great professionals to make sure we’re doing everything humanly possible to keep West Virginians safe.”