The West Virginia Department of Education will hold a press conference Wednesday to address back-to-school guidance for all 55 county school districts.
Across the country and in West Virginia, parents and teachers are asking whether kids under 12 should be masked in schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance last week recommending “universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of [COVID-19] vaccination status.”
Some districts in West Virginia are considering it, others are waiting for state guidance and one has already made a decision.
On Monday, the Kanawha County Board of Education passed new guidelines that will require students in pre-K through 5th grade to mask-up this fall. However, the board said students in 6th through 12th grade will have the option to go without.
This news comes as the Delta variant of COVID-19 surges throughout the country. Health officials say it is much more contagious than the original strain of COVID-19.
Some school districts in West Virginia, such as Monongalia, Ohio, Mercer and Putnam, are also considering requiring masks this fall. Most, however, are waiting to hear what state officials have to say.
The WVDE announced Tuesday that State Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch, West Virginia Board of Education Vice President Tom Campbell and West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Executive Director Bernie Dolan will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon to provide guidance for districts as well as be available to the media.
Meanwhile, there has been some pushback around the state from parents who are opposed to their children wearing masks this fall. Some point to breathing or verbal communication concerns, and others even point to mask-wearing as child abuse.
People who have received all of their COVID-19 vaccinations no longer will be required to wear a mask outdoors on West Virginia University campuses, the university said Tuesday.
People who have received all of their COVID-19 vaccinations no longer will be required to wear a mask outdoors on West Virginia University campuses, the university said Tuesday.
The university will continue to require masks indoors in most situations, WVU said in a news release.
Vaccinated individuals in groups of fewer than 10 indoors on campus may decide as an entire group to remove masks. Masks in spaces such as personal vehicles and private offices are not required for vaccinated or unvaccinated people, the statement said.
On June 1, the university will ease requirements for out-of-state travel for vaccinated people, who do not need to get tested or quarantine for five days following out-of-state domestic travel. Such travelers who are not vaccinated must continue to quarantine and are recommended to be tested for COVID-19, the statement said.
The university said vaccinated international travelers do not need to quarantine upon return but should get a COVID-19 test afterward and self-monitor for symptoms. Unvaccinated individuals are strongly discouraged from traveling internationally and will be required to quarantine for seven calendar days after travel and get tested.
The university will require employees who regularly work on campus to use annual leave to cover the quarantine period when scheduling out-of-state vacations. Workers can request a remote work assignment from their supervisor but won’t be guaranteed based on the college, department or unit’s operational needs, the statement said.
"I still feel weird not wearing a mask right now, cause I've been wearing it here for so long,” a store clerk at Taylor Books said. “I’m still getting used to it.”
Recent weekends on Capitol Street in downtown Charleston have been active. At Capital Market last Saturday, people pushed shopping carts at the open-air market, looking for plants to fill their gardens this summer. The city blocked off much of the street for outdoor dining. A jazz band played for those eating. Couples went out for ice cream and coffee.
June Leffler/ WVPB
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June Leffler/ WVPB
Shoppers browse for indoor and outdoor plants at Capitol Market in Charleston.
There was a line outside of local bakery Charleston Bread. Patti Salisbury, 62, ordered fresh cookies for a church celebration the next day.
“They’re still apparently having their limited capacity inside, which is okay with me,” she said.
Even now, after the state occupancy guidelines and mask mandate went away, the store is only welcoming a few customers at a time. But Salisbury doesn’t mind.
“I plan to still wear my mask unless I’m in a setting where I know people have been vaccinated,” she said.
June Leffler/ WVPB
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June Leffler/ WVPB
Customers wait in line for baked goods outside Charleston Bread.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that masks are now optional for those who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That goes for both outdoor and indoor spaces.
Gov. Jim Justice signed an executive order last Friday, aligning state’s mask mandate with the new CDC recommendations. He said it was a step towards normalcy, and hoped it would encourage more people to get vaccinated.
Further down Capitol Street, bookstore clerk Ann Elizabeth Korwan smiled at everyone who walked into Taylor Books.
“If you’re fully vaccinated you don’t have to wear a mask in here, but obviously you can if you want to,” she said. “And if you’re not fully vaxxed, we ask that you still wear a mask for us”.
Korwan’s not checking vaccine cards at the front door. It’s a simple honor system. But Korwan admits the switch is a little awkward.
“It was a little weird at first, and I still feel weird not wearing a mask right now, cause I’ve been wearing it here for so long,” she said. “I’m still getting used to it.”
Across the street, at a used clothing shop called the Consignment Company, owner Tammy Krepshaw is more nervous.
“I just took my mask sign down, that it’s not mandatory, but that’s not really how I feel,” she said.
June Leffler / WVPB
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June Leffler / WVPB
Tammy Krepshaw owns Consignment Company, a gently used women’s apparel store in downtown Charleston.
Private businesses can set their own pace on when to get rid of masks. It’s their prerogative. But the sudden news from the CDC was confusing for Krepshaw. It created more uncertainties.
“I don’t know what’s best for the business. Am I going to lose customers [if] they have to wear a mask? I’m still struggling to get my feet on the ground from the past year,” she said.
Corporate stores are pivoting, too. Walmart is giving its customers and vaxxed employees the option to go without a mask. Same goes for Target and CVS, though both just announced the changes Monday. Kroger has said its stores are keeping their mask policies in place nationwide for the time being.
But, last Saturday, almost every shopper wore a mask at big box retailer stores in the Southridge Center in Charleston. Even those that said they’re over masks altogether.
“I’ve been vaccinated, but even if I hadn’t, I’m in favor of removing the masks,” said Candace Thompson, 32, as she approached the Walmart store. “I’m just not that worried about it.”
“I’m glad that they have told us we can take them off, because they smother me. I have asthma,” said Linda McCallister, 77, who was shopping for plants outside Lowes.
Those shoppers might have grown a disdain for masks over the past year. Others see the potential to move forward.
“If you trust the vaccination, then it should be okay,” said William Simmons, 22, as he exited Lowes.
“I think if you want to encourage vaccination, you have to eliminate the mask mandate for those who have been vaccinated, because otherwise people don’t see any change,” said Ghassan Dagher, 72, leaving Walmart.
Just like the transition into wearing masks one year ago felt foreign, the transition away from them is bound to be awkward in its own way.
There’s still plenty of situations where people will need a mask, like visiting a hospital or riding public transit.
This comes after guidance from federal health officials Thursday saying Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can leave their face coverings at home.
Gov. Jim Justice has signed an executive order today ending the statewide mask mandate for fully vaccinated West Virginians.
This comes after guidance from federal health officials Thursday saying Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can leave their face coverings at home.
But Justice says those who remain unvaccinated still have to wear their face masks until June 20th, or West Virginia Day, when the governor originally planned to get rid of masks all together.
The governor hopes the ultimatum will encourage more people to sign up for their coronavirus vaccine.
“For those that have not been vaccinated, for crying out loud if you don’t like the masks, go get vaccinated,” he said at a Friday press briefing.
However, a business or employer can still mandate that everyone — vaccinated or not — wear their masks. The state Department of Education says it’s keeping masks until June 20th.
And everyone still has to mask up at health facilities and while taking public transit or commercial flights.
Justice delighted in the Centers for Disease Control’s new guidelines, but he values the role the mask mandate has played in the state for over a year.
“It served its purpose and what a purpose it has served. It saved so many lives,” he said.
So far, 46 percent of West Virginians have gotten at least one dose, and 39 percent are fully vaccinated.
Everyone older than 12 can now sign up for their COVID-19 vaccine, following a go-ahead from the CDC this week. The state Dept. of Education and local health departments say they are ready to vaccinate middle and high school students who have permission from their parents beginning this weekend.
All of West Virginia’s higher education institutions have varying return-to-campus plans in place for the fall 2020 semester. But how will plans be enforced? And what consequences exist if students refuse to comply?
As early as next week, some schools in West Virginia, such as Concord University and West Virginia University, will begin fall 2020 semesters, with others like Marshall and Shepherd University starting on Aug. 24.
All of West Virginia’s higher education institutions have protective protocols in place to combat the coronavirus, such as mask-wearing and social distancing.
Like their counterparts across the nation, most colleges and universities in the state are offering a mix of in-person, virtual and hybrid courses. Dormitories, in many cases, are single-occupancy rooms and will no longer allow visitors. And all institutions have greatly increased cleaning efforts.
Many schools, such as Shepherd, have signs all over campus that read, “Please keep your face coverings on!”
Gov. Jim Justice is asking that all public and private colleges and universities in West Virginia require coronavirus testing of all students who come to campuses.
At WVU, students and staff not wearing face coverings on campus could receive a written warning, be removed from class, put on probation, or even face suspension or expulsion, according to the school’s website.
Similarly, at Shepherd, if a student refuses to wear a mask, the situation will be “treated as a conduct issue by Students Affairs and Residence Life,” the university advised in an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
At Marshall, students and staff who wish to report incidents anonymously can do so through an online form. Those in violation would be “subject to the rules of the student judicial system and Board of Governors Policy No. SA-1, Student Rights and Responsibilities,” according to guidance posted on the school’s website.
“[A] formal warning comes first, followed by conduct probation, [which] limits participation in extracurricular activities and student privileges, then probationary suspension, suspension, and finally expulsion,” said Leah Payne, Marshall University’s director of University Communications.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has provided a page on its website with links to all of West Virginia’s 4-year, 2-year and private institutions’ return-to-campus guidelines, which continue to be updated as schools sort out safety policies as they begin the fall semester.
Recently, Justice provided $2.5 million dispersed among West Virginia’s colleges and universities to support COVID-19 testing on campus.
West Virginia HEPC Chancellor Sarah Armstrong Tucker said this funding will help institutions ramp up testing and reopen safely.
“This accelerated testing, combined with the far-reaching health and safety protocols schools have already activated, will allow students to continue their education – which is critical to their futures and the future of our state – with greater peace of mind,” Tucker said.
**Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said Shepherd and Marshall would require coronavirus testing of all students living in residence halls as well as student-athletes, newly arrived international students or students coming from hot-spot areas in the U.S. This is in fact a request by Gov. Jim Justice for all students attending the state’s public and private colleges and universities.
The most recent string of COVID-19 outbreaks linked to places of worship has led to roughly 75 West Virginians testing positive for the coronavirus over the last couple of weeks.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said it is tracking outbreaks related to seven churches in Kanawha, Boone, Logan, Raleigh, Grant, Taylor and Wood counties.
This is not the state’s first bout of church outbreaks. Earlier this summer the DHHR reported smaller outbreaks in Ohio, Marshall, Hampshire, Marion and Jefferson counties. In June, more than 40 worshippers at the Graystone Baptist Church in Ronceverte, Greenbrier County, tested positive for the coronavirus. One member died.
“We want to encourage everyone to still have online services if possible, but we are going to lend our support to the churches,” said Dr. Ayne Amjad with the Bureau for Public Health during a virtual press briefing Monday. “If you’re going to still meet, then we want to offer our support to them [places of worship], and encourage face shields.”
At least 48 people had tested positive for the coronavirus by Monday afternoon, all of whom were linked to the North Charleston Apostolic Church in Kanawha County.
Roughly half those people live in Kanawha County. The outbreak also includes five Putnam County residents, nine Cabell County residents, four Lincoln County residents and one Logan County resident.
In Boone and Taylor counties, the church outbreaks were linked to bible studies.
In Taylor County, public information officer Shawn Thorn said the four local cases were linked to a weekly bible study for adults. According to Thorn, the church volunteered to close for two weeks without requests from the county health department.
Julie Miller, the Boone County Health Department administrator, said four of the eight cases from her county’s church are Boone County residents who were involved in a three-day vacation bible school for children.
“We’re still trying to get everybody to wear masks everywhere, especially when they go to church,” Miller said.
Gov. Jim Justice signed an executive order July 6, requiring all West Virginians older than 9 years old to wear a face covering indoors when social distancing is not possible.
The governor’s communications office confirmed to West Virginia Public Broadcasting via email the executive order applies to places of worship. Yet, two weeks after Justice’s order, it remains unclear how local and state health departments legally can enforce this requirement in churches.
The governor’s communications office did not respond Monday afternoon to follow-up requests for clarification, regarding county health departments’ abilities to force churchgoers to wear masks.
Miller said participants did not comply with Justice’s mask mandate, which took effect Tuesday, July 7. It’s her understanding, she added, that local health departments like hers are unable to enforce the mandate with churches, due to separation of church and state.
In Kanawha County, the director of environmental health reported by way of his spokesperson that health officials would need a circuit court judge to agree a church is a health hazard, to legally enforce a closure.
In both Boone and Kanawha counties the churches responsible for the outbreaks agreed to close for at least two weeks, following requests from the local health departments.
In Wood County, where at least five residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, public information officer Carrier Brainard for the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department said the church responsible for the outbreak was compliant with the mandate.
Brainard declined to share details regarding the church’s name and location.
“It’s just important that people not panic, but that they make the right decisions and try to wear a mask,” Brainard said. “I know it’s difficult to sing with the mask on, but that’s one of the areas that they say is the worst for projecting, when you’re not wearing a mask and you’re singing.”
Health officials also recommend worshippers sit in every other pew.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting was unable to reach health departments for Raleigh, Grant and Logan counties by the time of this article’s publication.
