Gov. Jim Justice is urging West Virginians to wear masks and social distance after announcing a fourth active COVID-19 outbreak in a church and a continued rise in cases.
With active church outbreaks in Boone, Taylor, Raleigh and Kanawha counties, Justice urged church-goers to keep every other pew empty and to wear masks while present. He said attending a church service is different than going outside or walking in a store because it often includes congregants singing and projecting their voices.
“Church is a place where we sing,” Justice said Friday during a news conference. “Church is a place where we’re together in a confined area for at least an hour.”
West Virginia reported 125 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, increasing its cumulative cases to 4,710. The peak day for new COVID-19 cases was July 10 at 175. Before July, there were no days in which there were more than 70 new cases. Since the beginning of the month, however, 13 out of the 16 days counted had more than 70 new cases.
Clay Marsh, West Virginia’s coronavirus czar, said during the news conference COVID-19 has begun to spread more quickly in the country and the world. He said the U.S. just had its largest day for new cases at more than 70,000 on Thursday. He urged residents to follow Justice’s guidelines.
“So right now is the time that we really need to act, and we really need to work as a state, work together, create community, altruism, wear your mask [and] protect each other from having people who don’t know they have the virus yet from spreading it,” Marsh said.
Justice said West Virginia has a large elderly population and a lot of people with chronic illness compared with other states in the country. He said the state was able to open faster than others because people followed the guidelines and he will be able to open the state more fully if people continue to do that.
By executive order, people are required to wear masks when inside a public location if social distancing cannot be observed. These locations include a store, a restaurant or a church. The rule has some exemptions, such as children under 9 years old, people with problems breathing and people who cannot put a mask on or take one off without assistance. A person can remove his or her mask while eating or drinking.
There is no penalty for violating the order, but the governor said he will consider supporting one if people do not follow it. He said a penalty would need to be approved by the General Assembly.
Schools are scheduled to reopen Sept. 8, but Justice has said he’ll continue to watch the numbers.
