MORGANTOWN — Gov. Jim Justice announced on Thursday another list of The Comeback reopenings.
Health clubs and gyms will be allowed to reopen on Monday, he said. This move stems from some wellness centers that were previously allowed to reopen for medical and rehabilitation purposes but “pushed the envelope” and were “halfway running a gym.”
That prompted calls for the gyms, he said, who wanted a level playing field. The gyms will be allowed to open under guidelines to be published on Thursday.
Whitewater rafting and rafting and ziplining will be allowed to resume May 21, Justice said. Rafts will be limited to six people and buses transporting rafters will be limited to 18 passengers.
Outdoor guided rock climbing will resume Friday with guidance to be published Thursday, he said.
Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch announced a plan to serve minority and vulnerable populations in medically underserved counties with expanded COVID-19 testing opportunities. DHHR provided details in a release.
The plan was developed by the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs, DHHR and the National Guard, the release said, and targets residents who have struggled to be seen by a physician or do not have insurance to pay for testing. The testing will be free and available to all residents in selected counties, including asymptomatic individuals.
The first round of testing will be offered Friday and Saturday in Berkeley, Jefferson, Raleigh and Mercer counties.
As part of the previously explained plan to shift COVID-19 tracking to the county level, Bureau of Public Health Commissioner Cathy Slemp unveiled during Thursday’s press briefing a county alert system going into effect this week.
DHHR will keep a seven-day rolling average of new cases not tied to facility outbreaks, she said. Breaking a set threshold will trigger a rapid joint assessment to evaluate data and determine if there’s a community spread.
Assessment of the data, she said, could lead to the governor placing a county on High Alert status, and lead to reinforcing various mitigation measures and to supplying a county with additional resources for such things as contact tracing and testing.
A county could be removed from High Alert status based on data showing a decrease in cases, she said.
The system, she said, will allow people to return to work and daily life under The Comeback while also assuring early detection of increased local disease spreads.
Justice said the state will be honoring Peace Officers Memorial Day on Friday and flags will be flown at half staff Friday. He talked about the sacrifices and hard work of police officers. “How in the world could we be disrespectful to those people? … Please take the time to be thankful.”
Thursday’s COVID-19 numbers continued to trend positive, he said. The morning figures showed 1,434 positive tests out of 68,978 results – a 2.08 cumulative rate – with 62 deaths. The number of recovered cases was 855 with 477 active cases.
He cautioned again that The Comeback could lead to new outbreaks. “If the numbers start to move a little bit against us, don’t get upset with me if we have to shut stuff back down. Because at the drop of a hat we’ll shut it back down in order to able to protect our people.”
He responded to a question about employers who may try to force employees who are working from home to return to the office before they’re ready. “We’re trying to legislate for the masses as best as we possibly can,” he said, and the state can’t force business owners to allow employees to return to the office.
However, he said in response to another question, they are working on the issue of businesses that flaunt the guide. “I’m not going to turn away and act like I don’t see it.” If they learn of a buisness that’s opened improperly, they’ll move swiftly to shut it back down.
He said he gets questioned daily if he’s concerned about The Comeback trigger new cases. “We’re going to be concerned and we’re going to be worried with me at the top of the list until we get a drug that will stop this or a vaccine that will absolutely prevent it.”
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
