Executive Order 9-20 issued by WV GOVERNOR JIM JUSTICE on March 16, 2020 was the State of Emergency Declaration for all counties in West Virginia and ordered the following:

  1. Stay at home or your place of residence
  2. Non-essential businesses and operations must temporarily cease operations
  3. Essential businesses and operations shall continue to operate
  4. Prohibited activities
  5. Avoid social gatherings
  6. Intent of this order
  7. Enforcement
  8. Duration

Executive Order 21-20 issued on April 04, 2020, was ordered due to increasing numbers of persons diagnosed with Covid-19. Further measures are necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, disrupt the spread of the virus, and mitigate the impact of the virus in certain counties due to the propensity of the Covid-19 virus to spread via personal interactions.

It is necessary that essential businesses and operations further limit the number of employees and members of the public entering and exiting their premises, and to the maximum extent possible, must shift work and workers off-premises to the maximum extent possible.

This new order puts forward the following:

  1. Limits outdoor activities to five (5) person gatherings while maintaining social distancing of six feet from one another.
  2. All essential businesses shall order their employees and/or contractors, to the maximum extent possible, to work from their home or residence, or to otherwise work remotely.
  3. Monongalia County Health Department is hereby directed to establish and enforce protocols to limit occupancy of any such business that remains open to the public on an individual-per-square foot basis.

Whereas, Monongalia County Health Department and County Health Officer have broad authority to regulate matters relating to public health under Chapter 16 of the West Virginia Code, the following measures are deemed necessary to save lives to the extent humanly possible and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public from the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Therefore,

  1. Stay at home or your place of residence: all indiyiduals Wiithin Monongalia County are under a general stay-at-home order and are directed to stay at home or their place of residence unless performing an essential activity, as defined within Section 1 of the Governor of West Virginia’s Stay at Home Executive Order 9-20.
    1. In order to observe the stay at home order and limit instances of persons leaving their home or residence, all persons going to or from the home of a family member shall limit the number of visits to the greatest extent possible.
    2. To prevent spread of Covid-19, groups engaging in outdoor activities, including the sale of food products, produce, and farm goods are hereby limited to a maximum of 5 people and must maintain social distancing of six feet from one another at all times.
  2. Essential Businesses and Operations, as outlined in Executive Order 9-20, Section 3, in Monongalia County shall immediately order their employees and/or contractors, to the maximum extent possible, to work from their home or residence, or to otherwvise work remotely in order to limit the instances requiring their employees to leave home.
    1. Any business permitted to remain open, that chooses to remain open, and requires employees to report to work, must take the actions:
      1. Implement a plan to limit staff to essential personnel only;
      2. Implement social distancing practices within and around the workplace, including remaining 6 feet away from others; and
      3. Supply adequate disinfecting and hygienic supplies to employees, such as disinfecting or spray, hand sanitizer, soap & water, and when at all possible face masks and gloves.
      4. Provide protective barriers for employees exposed to the general public (barriers may include safety glasses, masks, plexi-glass shields).
    2. Any business permitted to remain open, that chooses to remain open, and requires employees to report to work, shall establish access restrictions that limit access of the public as follows:
      1. No more than two (2) individual members of the public may enter into the business per 1,000 square feet of public space at any given time.
      2. To ensure the number of people per square foot is not exceeded, the business shall keep track of the number of people who enter and leave the store on a one-in, one-out basis after capacity is reached.
      3. The business shall take actions to establish social distancing among their public customers to the greatest extent possible, including but not limited to marking distances six feet apart, at any area where people are likely to congregate or stand in line; create one-way aisles or other restrictions to limit close contact with other people, and encourage, whenever possible to allow customers to place orders ahead, where feasible, that will allow them to pick up and pay without entering the business.
      4. Prominently display these regulations, including posting maximum person occupancy of each essential business under the square footage regulations established herein, at no less than five (5) locations, including entrance to the store, in addition to posting the same on the business’s website and all social media platforms, if applicable.
    3. Any resident of Monongalia County who has a critical need for goods and services and are unable to obtain such due to this or any other Order related to the Covid19 pandemic is encouraged to call WV 211 United Way Information and Referral line to seek assistance.
    4. Pursuant to West Virginia Code 16-3-2 Monongalia County Health Department is authorized to establish quarantine of any individuals to prevent the spread of any infectious or communicable diseases. Therefore:
      1. Any person awaiting corona virus test results shall self-quarantine until those results are known and reported to the health department.
      2. Any person diagnosed with Covid-19 shall self-isolate for at least 14 days in a portion of their home or residence that limits, as much as possible, their contact with any other member of their residence.
      3. Whenever possible, any person suspected of having or diagnosed with Covid19 who is under self-quarantine or isolation should use his or her own bathroom.
      4. Any person living in the same household as a suspected or diagnosed person with Covid-19 or who has had known contact with a diagnosed person should contact the Monongalia County Health Department for further instruction.
    5. Enforcement of this Order shall be at the direction of Monongalia County Health Department and County Health Officer. Pursuant to Executive Order 21-20, West Virginia State Police are directed to provide support in enforcing the terms of this Order.
      1. Accordingly, Monongalia County Health Department hereby requests that West Virginia State Police assist in the enforcement of this Order.
      2. If West Virginia State Police resources are not available, Monongalia County Sheriffs office and all municipal law enforcement agencies located in Monongalia County may be called upon to enforce this Order.
      3. West Virginia National Guard are also requested to support local health departments by assisting with spot checking businesses and with any other support deemed necessary by the County Health Officer to require compliance with orders established herein.
    6. Any adult member of public can report non-compliance with these orders by calling Monongalia County Health Department at 304-598-5100.
    7. Monongalia County Health Department reserves the right to amend this order as necessary to protect the health and welfare of the public. Any amendment made will be communicated by media release and other reasonable methods of

 

 

Lee B. Smith, MD, JD, FACEP
Executive Director & County Health Officer

Order effective Tuesday April 07, 2020