Gov. Jim Justice today suggested another mandate on facial coverings is possible for West Virginia if current covid-19 trends continue.
That’s a slight change of position for the governor, who recently has said he doesn’t see the need for such a mandate. So far, he has left facemask requirements in schools to individual county systems.
Justice was talking about what other governments and institutions are doing when he foreshadowed a mandate possibility.
“I’m trying to give a lot of leeway to our local officials, but if this thing continues the way it’s going you’ll just have to look for the fact that we will have to adjust and we probably will have to end up moving in this direction,” Justice said during a briefing today.
Ten states — California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Washington — have indoor mask mandates in place, along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
All but Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada and Washington, D.C., exempt people who are fully vaccinated against covid-19.
Oregon officials were announcing today that the state will resume its mask mandate for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people.
A number of states—including Florida and Texas—have to prevent local authorities instituting mask mandates themselves.
West Virginia’s earlier mask mandate was lifted June 20, aligning with the celebration of the state’s founding. The mandated was lifted in West Virginia for both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
Since then, the delta variant of covid-19 has fueled a resurgence of cases.
West Virginia today identified 4,625 active cases.
At the start of this month, just 11 days ago, there were just 2,480.
Cases requiring hospitalization have hit 275, the highest number since April.
A state map showing levels of covid spread has the highest levels in Marshall, Wetzel, Upshur, Wayne and McDowell counties, which are displayed as red.
State officials say vaccination participation has ticked up in recent days, but the state still lags behind optimal protection from the virus.
Of the state’s eligible population, people over age 12, 57 percent are considered fully vaccinated.
In response to a question about how long precautions might be necessary, covid-19 response adviser Clay Marsh said the country is in the middle of a historic and unique public health crisis.
“If people become fully-vaccinated, all of our eligible population, then that will effectively help us get fit enough that we’re able to defeat the covid virus,” Marsh said.
Speaking at a state school board meeting this morning, Fred Albert of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, encouraged people to participate in vaccination efforts.
“This should not be political. We’re in the midst of a public health crisis,” he said. “We need to continue to promote the vaccinations and the masks.”