IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ESSENTIAL
OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY WORKERS

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGAWV) wishes to advise and remind all members that over the past few days, in response to the COVID-19 virus and its potential threat to all state residents, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has issued Executive Orders 14-20 and 15-20 that place new and important restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus.

This action alert is meant to remind workers in the essential oil and gas industry to practice proper social distancing and to ensure proper hygiene both at the work site and in the communities in which they live and work here in West Virginia. This includes campsites, work sites, and all outdoor and indoor locations.

This action alert also describes certain provisions of those Executive Orders so that you will be aware of their provisions. In short, the following restrictions are now in effect:

  1. All individuals traveling from areas with substantial community spread of COVID-19 are to self-isolate for a period of 14 days upon entry into the state or for the duration of their visit; except to the extent those new arrivals are working in an essential industry, including the oil and gas industry.

 

  1. The closure of state park campgrounds.

 

  1. The closure of all private campgrounds to new arrivals from out of state; except to the extent those new arrivals are working in an essential industry, including the oil and gas industry.

PLEASE NOTE:

1.         These restrictions “shall not apply to any individuals from out of state who have taken up temporary residence in a private campground before the effective date of this Order (March 31, 2020) and have already begun their 14-day isolation period in accordance with Executive Order 14-20.”

2.         In addition, since many individuals currently reside in private campgrounds in this state for extended periods of time as a permanent or semi-permanent residence, these restrictions “shall not apply to any individual who has taken up any sort of permanent or semi-permanent residence in a private campground within this state prior to the effective date.”

3.         Nothing in these Orders is “meant to impede commerce or any response activities and therefore shall not apply to any individuals involved in commercial activity, including without limitation individuals involved in commercial trucking activities and individuals who commute into or out of the state for work, persons performing any emergency, health, military, or infrastructure response activities necessitating lodging in the state, or persons otherwise engaged in and who must remain in or travel into the state for the purposes of conducting Essential Businesses and Operations under the terms of Executive Order 9-20.”
To reiterate, the provisions of the two Executive Orders restricting out of state visitors or travelers and the closing private campgrounds DO NOT APPLY to those oil and natural gas workers here for the construction of pipelines or other natural gas transportation, distribution or infrastructure projects.  In addition, the Executive Orders DO NOT APPLY to new workers coming into the state for these stated oil and natural gas projects.  You should be aware of the provisions of these Executive Orders, and be aware of the exemptions from them, including for oil and natural gas workers as they are conducting Essential Businesses and Operations as defined under the terms of Executive Order 9-20.
Executive Order 14-20
https://www.wvnews.com/executive-order-no-14-20/pdf_4654a958-bb22-54b9-b389-0a9ed49bc5dc.html

Executive Order 15-20
https://governor.wv.gov/Documents/EO%2015-20campgrounds.pdf

IOGAWV asks that all members and their contractors be reminded that during this epidemic, precautions should be taken to protect yourselves, and to equally protect and ensure the peace of mind of members of the communities in which you live and work. We also ask that you follow these recommendations:

How to protect yourself

•People who are sneezing, wheezing, coughing — just avoid them.

•Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (it’s longer than you think —
try saying the Pledge of Allegiance twice or silently sing “Happy Birthday” twice, too).

•Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) if soap and water are not available.

•Apply the “not above the shoulders” rule — avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with
unwashed hands.

•Commonly used surfaces — clean them often.

•You are actually at greater risk of getting the seasonal flu than this new virus — so get a flu shot.

Where to go for information

•For answers on coronavirus, the flu, or any health-related questions, call your doctor.

•If you don’t have a doctor, visit our online Find a Doctor service for help in locating one nearby:
www.highmarkbcbswv.com/find-a-doctor.

•CDC Coronavirus fact sheet:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf

•Main CDC Coronavirus site:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

For more information about COVID-19 prevention and more, call the State’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or visit Coronavirus.wv.gov.