Gov. Jim Justice issued no new orders during his Tuesday COVID-19 press briefing, but went though a list of what might happen if. …
If indoor malls can figure out how to protect people inside – maybe they can reopen. With large and specialty retail stores being allowed to reopen May 21, Justice said his people have been working with the indoor malls on how to protect their customers. He wants to be able to open them as soon and as safely as possible.
If youth sports can resume June 8 – it’ll depend on a new twist the disease has taken. Justice referred broadly to 93 kids in New York who having a “real bad deal” with a twist on the coronavirus, and three have died. They’re monitoring that, he said.
So if things keep trending well, baseball and other non-contact youth sports will resume, but if officials learn it’s taking a turn against kids, it won’t happen.
COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh expanded on that in answer to a question. He explained that COVID-19 is focusing on blood vessels and blood vessel-based problems. People have strokes, heart attacks, and COVID finger or toes that turn purple as COVID-related complications.
In New York, he said, a small number of kids are experiencing an inflammation of the lining of the great blood vessels called Kawasaki’s Disease. It’s rare and unusual. There are no reported cases in West Virginia but the occurrence of Kawasaki’s indicates kids aren’t totally safe, which makes such measures as testing in daycares that much more important.
Another if – if cities and counties have direct COVID-related expenses, Justice wants to send them the money tomorrow. But they’re still waiting on the House of Representatives to finish reworking the CARES Act rules. He said again he’s hoping those rules will be relaxed to allow backfilling for COVID-related shortfalls.
He wants to hear CARES Act spending suggestions from everyone, he said, but many of the calls to send $600 million here or there are just political stunts. “We’ve got to stop doing this kind of stuff. It’s too important.”
In answer to a question, Justice said he understands that some restaurant owners believe they won’t be able to operate at 50% capacity, which is the occupancy limit set for their May 21 indoor-dining reopening. But the guideline was formed with safety in mind. “To give you guidelines beyond 50% would be foolish.”
The Dominion Post asked how restaurants in hot spot counties, where gatherings are limited to fie people, will operate when they reopen.
Justice’s general counsel Brian Abraham explained that the five-person limit applies to public gatherings. Businesses are subject to occupancy based on square footage, and restaurants will follow appropriate business guidelines.
The Department of Health and Human Resources is working on reformulating the criteria for designating counties as hot spots, and The Dominion Post also asked when counties might know if they might be able to come off the list or be added to it.
DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch said they are trying to get those new criteria in front of everyone and should be able to unveil them in the next two to three days.
Asked about casino’s reopening, Justice said part of that consideration is their major draw for out-of-state visitors. They’re looking at that, and he could see them opening in the last few days of this month or the first half of June.
Justice and Marsh also fielded a question on why face masks are urged but not mandated.
Justice said that some mandates just trigger people to disobey because they want to preserve their freedom. “By dog, I’m not going to do that,” they say. “You lose people and divide. … We’ve got to stay together as West Virginians.”
Marsh agreed, saying they’ve counted on people’s commitment and community since the beginning. “In this pandemic you’re not just taking care of yourself.” So requiring masks would defeat what their goal of urging people to work together for the common good.
Crouch issued a warning for foster families. He said an impostor has been calling families, posing as a representative of Aetna Better Health, trying to get the foster kids’ Social Security number.
Neither DHHR nor Aetna will do that in an unsolicited call, he said, so be on guard for that scam. DHHR has alerted the attorney general to the problem.
Tuesday afternoon’s COVID-19 numbers from the DHHR were 1,378 positive cases out of 65,708 test results – a 2.1% cumulative rate – with 58 deaths. Justice said the number of daily positive cases has fallen to its lowest level since they began tracking cases on March 23. On March 24 and 25, they had four positive each day. It rose daily for a time, but on May 11, the number fell to six and on May 12 to five at the time of his briefing.
But he again urged caution. “This thing can whiplash back on us, and if it does inWest Virginia it’ll be bad.”
Justice ended the briefing with his dander up, in response to a question a question about some groups who are pushing for extended unemployment benefits for people who don’t want to go back to work.
Waving his hands, he said, “Please stop the politics. … That’s all this is.” Groups are saying let everyone stay home and extend unemployment forever. “For crying out loud, I’m not the king. There are federal guidelines we all have to follow. … Stop the politics! Stop the politics!”
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
