Communities and Businesses

August 25, 2020: The County Alert System will be used in determining nursing home visitation. However, health officials will continuously monitor nursing homes moving forward, allowing for swift changes if necessary.

 

August 14, 2020: School Re-Entry Metrics and Pr​otocols—West Virginia Department of Education

Gov. Justice announced an all-new service, called HELP304, which is funded by FEMA and administered by the DHHR to help West Virginians deal with COVID-19-related stress. West Virginians can call or text 1-877-HELP-304 (1-877-435-7304) or chat online at www.HELP304.com to receive free help from trained crisis counselors who can listen to concerns, help sort out emotions, and provide connections to community resources.

August 13, 2020: Executive Order 61-20 temporarily prohibiting all visitation in all of West Virginia’s nursing home facilities, except in cases of compassionate care due to end-of-life or deteriorating physical and/or mental health. The visitation stoppage went into effect on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. (Executive Order 61-20)

August 12, 2020: Executive Order 60-20 Closure of all bars in Monongalia County for an additional seven days. The new order extends the countywide bar closure until Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. 

July 14, 2020: Executive Order 51-20 Statewide social gathering limit reduced to 25. ​ Closes all fairs, festivals, and similar events, and prohibits both indoor and outdoor concerts statewide.

The 25-person limitation applies only to purely social gatherings. It does not apply to any activity, business, or entity that has been deemed essential, such as religious services, weddings, or group meetings, conferences, or other special events held for essential businesses and operations, as defined by Executive Order 9-20, as amended. Such meetings, conferences, or other special events will need to plan for social distancing between attendees based on CDC recommendations.

On July 7, 2020, Gov. Justice’s General Counsel Brian Abraham added that, while there is a law in West Virginia that prohibits the use of face coverings in public, there is an exemption to that law for emergency situations such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The new face covering requirement does not restrict the right of West Virginians to carry concealed weapons.