| West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday a plan to reopen the stateâs economy if the state has three consecutive days when the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests compared to the number of tests taken dip below 3 percent.
âWe are going to start reopening things,â Justice said at a news conference on Monday. âIf we get three days consecutively under 3 percent, and I believe as we get on final numbers today, today will be our first day.â
Justice said the stateâs positive COVID-19 test rate was currently at 2.4%, a drop from a trend where it had been at 4 percent.
âIf we drop below the 3% level and we stay below that 3% level, we are going to begin our comeback,â Justice said.
The governor said he and DHHR officials have shared time and time again the nation is trending at 20%, West Virginia is trending at 4% and surrounding states are trending at 8%. The metric comes from the number of tests given to the number of positives.
âAs weâve expanded testing, weâre starting to see a trend line where the numbers are getting better and better and better,â Justice said.
The governor said the reopenings would not be mandatory, and any business that does not feel comfortable would not be required to restart.
Justice said the following would be allowed to reopen the first week once the state passes three consecutive days with a positive COVID-19 test rate below 3 percent:
Week one
* Hospitals and elective medical procedures
* Outpatient health care working with boards and associations to develop appropriate criteria:
* Primary care
* Dentistry
* Physical therapy/occupational therapy
* Psychological mental health
* Testing of day care staff
Week two
* Small businesses with less than 10 employees
* Professional services (by appointment and waiting in vehicle instead of inside)
* Hair and nail salons, barbershops
* Dog grooming
* Outdoor dining at restaurants
* Churches and funerals with limited gatherings (every other pew, physical distancing, face coverings)
* All with physical distancing, sanitation and face covering
Weeks three through six
* Offices and government buildings
* Special retail stores
* Parks (Restrooms and facilities at parks)
* Gyms, fitness centers recreational centers
* Dine-in restaurants
* Hotels, casinos
* Spas, massage parlors
* Remaining small businesses
Justice said currently there is no timetable for reopening the following:
* Nursing home visitation
* Entertainment venues
* Movie theaters
* Sporting events
* Concerts
* Gatherings larger than 25 people
The governor outlined a roadmap for "West Virginia Strong:" The Comeback. He said it can only be accomplished with expanded testing capacity, increased hospital surge capacity while allowing elective procedures to restart this week, ramping up the supply of personal protective equipment and ramping up contact tracing.
Justice said West Virginians should continue to practice social distancing, wear face coverings in public where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, follow the statewide stay-at-home order until it is lifted and follow all county health department regulations.
The governor said there are conditions for if there are significant increases in the virus after businesses begin to reopen, the state will slow down, stop or reverse steps in the plan to reopen the economy.
These conditions include an unexpected increase in COVID-19 positive hospitalizations, significant outbreaks community-based transmission or a cumulative percent of positive test results surges above 3%.
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