Justice Says Advisors Will Meet at 5 P.M. Today to Re-Evaluate Metrics; Keeping WVU Students Who have Tested Positive Isolated, Adding Gold to Color Map Two Ideas on Table
By Chris Johnson on September 14, 2020
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced during his Monday COVID-19 press conference that an idea is on the table that would put WVU students who have tested positive into an isolated environment.
Justice suggested something like a dorm facility could be used to keep students basically in quarantine until their risk of spreading the virus goes away.
The color warning map may be headed to a fifth color, gold, being added. Justice said the gold warning would be used to bridge the wide gap for orange (10 to 25).
In regard to sports in regard to the proposed gold level, the Governor said perhaps schools at gold could play other schools at gold or another in-county school in gold.
The fifth color and the WVU situation are two of the topics expected to be brought up during an emergency meeting between Justice and his advisors that has been scheduled for 5 p.m today.
"I'm doing everything in my power, I'm trying to make the very best decisions for everybody in West Virginia," Justice said. Today at 5 p.m., I'm calling all my advisors to the mansion. We are going turn over every rock and look at everything again to achieve safety and goodness and all the best for the state."
The Governor stood his ground on guidelines that would affect orange and red counties but did say it doesn't make a lot of sense to put the restrictions on schools in the orange and red but continue to allow other things to remain open.
Justice reiterated he is not going to bow down to pressure from protests or outside sources to envoke changes but he would still continue to listen. He did however have a pair of warnings in regard to situations in Kanawha County and Fayette County.
In Kanawha County, Justice said the Bible Center School has chosen to ignore the executive order and go back to in-person schooling. Justice said that would be a huge mistake and hopes they can get on the same page sooner than later.
Justice talked about an influx of outdoor activities centered around the Gauley River in Fayette County over the weekend and the county as a whole needs to tighten up.
Justice began his press conference by offering his condolences to the families of the 12 coronavirus deaths since his last briefing. The state's total of deaths related to COVID-19 is now at 275.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientest to see this virus attacks our elderly first," Justice said.
Touching on the daily DHHR numbers, Justice pointed out that the state's daily positive rate of 2.69 is the lowest it has been in days but active cases are up more than 100 since last Friday and West Virginia's RT number of 1.34 continues to be the highest in the nation.
Free COVID-19 testing is scheduled for Calhoun and Fayette counties on Tuesday, Boone, Doddridge and Nicholas counties on Thursday, Harrison County on Friday and Kanawha County both Friday and Saturday
Video of Monday's press conference can be found below.
