CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Gov. Jim Justice have exchanged barbs on multiple occasions.
Manchin has accused Justice of not being fully committed to serving as governor, while Justice has criticized Manchin for not doing enough during his five years as West Virginia’s chief executive.
But Manchin is giving Justice credit for his work during the coronavirus pandemic; the senator said the governor is doing the right thing by listening to medical professionals on the best actions to take.
“What I’m very appreciative about what Jim Justice is doing — and I’ve said this openly and publicly — is he’s paying attention to (state coronavirus czar Dr.) Clay Marsh and some of the professionals, which the president is not doing,” Manchin said recently on MetroNews “Talkline.”
Manchin described Justice as “cautious,” noting the decision to cancel all in-person classes at West Virginia schools for the rest of the academic year.
“I hope he’s listening, and I think he is. And I think that’s good,” Manchin said. “I think that’s helpful right now. We’ve got to be very cautious.”
Manchin also stressed on “Talkline” the need for additional testing.
“Clay Marsh is saying we’re able to do up to 4,500 tests a day. I hope we get up to that,” he said. “We can’t start opening up until we test.”
Justice last week also ordered medical facilities would be able to apply to restart elective procedures, which have been on hold amid the pandemic.