All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Vaccinations available to all West Virginians age 16 and older; fairs and festivals permitted to resume May 1

Gov. Jim Justice at Monday's COVID-19 briefing. / Photo courtesy W.Va. Governor's Office

CHARLESTON — During Monday’s briefing, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to all state residents age 16 and older, beginning immediately.

“As we continue to lead the nation with our vaccine distribution, we do not want to let our foot off the gas,” Gov. Justice said. “I encourage all West Virginians to take advantage of this opportunity and get vaccinated.”

West Virginians who are age 65 and older will continue to be prioritized first until all state residents in that age range who desire to receive the vaccine have been vaccinated.

“At the same time, we have got to get more and more West Virginians vaccinated, and now is our time,” Gov. Justice said. “Let’s go, West Virginia. Let’s get everyone in the state vaccinated. That’s our goal.”

Gov. Justice went on to encourage all West Virginians age 16 and older wishing to be vaccinated to pre-register at vaccinate.wv.gov or by calling the COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line at 1-833-734-0965.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS WILL BE ALLOWED TO RESUME MAY 1

Also on Monday, Gov. Justice announced that all fairs, festivals, and similar events will be allowed to resume, beginning Saturday, May 1, 2021.

“These events are part of the fabric of our state. We want them to go on,” Gov. Justice said. “I expect all these events to continue following all safety guidelines in order to keep West Virginians safe if they choose to attend these events.”

Gov. Justice added that updated safety guidelines will be issued later this week on the West Virginia Strong – The Comeback page of the Governor’s website.

“Unless there’s a real backslide with our numbers, we plan to have all of our fairs and festivals as we try to get back to some level of normalcy,” Gov. Justice said.

VACCINE DISTRIBUTION UPDATE

Additionally Monday, Gov. Justice reported that West Virginia has now successfully administered 709,830 doses after receiving a total allotment of 737,730 doses from the federal government to date; an overall administration rate of 96.2%.

West Virginia currently boasts a first dose administration rate of 102.2%, which exceeds 100% due to extra doses being extracted from vials of the vaccine, and a second dose administration rate of 87.7%.

  • First doses: 441,903 administered / 432,240 allotted
  • Second doses: 267,927 administered / 305,490 allotted

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Local Rotary club expands soft-plastics recycling drop-off sites in Upshur County

The Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur has added more drop-off locations for its soft-plastics recycling project, keeping thousands of pounds out of local landfills. The effort helps fund balers and inclusive playground equipment made from recycled materials.

WVWC Center for Community Engagement & Leadership Development to host Community Labs on fundraising, marketing

WVWC’s Center for Community Engagement & Leadership Development is hosting free Community Labs to help local nonprofits, mission-driven groups, and businesses strengthen fundraising and marketing.

Upshur County Board of Education Agenda: January 20, 2026

The Upshur County Board of Education will hold a meeting January 20, 2026, and this notice outlines the agenda for that session.

Upshur County Convention & Visitors Bureau seeking executive director

Upshur County Convention & Visitors Bureau is hiring an executive director to lead tourism development, marketing and community engagement.

Basketball ‘Cats have no answers for UC’s offense in 100-58 setback

Charleston rolled to a 100–58 Mountain East Conference win over West Virginia Wesleyan, led by Matthew Shelton’s 20 points and strong depth as the Bobcats fell to 0–14.

Wesleyan women drop game at the buzzer to Charleston, 53-51

West Virginia Wesleyan fell 53-51 to Charleston after a final-second layup, despite Sydney Baird’s 14 points and Kilah Dandridge’s 12 points and five assists in a tightly contested Mountain East Conference game.

Tucker and Pingley record double-doubles as B-U secures first win of the year with a 58-43 victory over Robert C. Byrd

Madelyn Tucker and Emma Pingley each posted double-doubles as Buckhannon-Upshur earned its first win, defeating Robert C. Byrd 58-43 behind Tucker’s 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Election Update: The latest local candidate filings as of January 14

Candidate filings are underway for the May 12, 2026, Primary Election, with early entries for county commission, school board and city recorder. The filing deadline is Jan. 31, 2026.

Winter weather advisory issued for Upshur County as snow moves in

A winter weather advisory is in effect for Upshur County from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 1 p.m. Thursday as a fast-moving system could bring 2–4 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 35 mph.