Shortly after Governor Jim Justice advised businesses and residents that they must adhere to safety guidelines with face coverings and social distancing, he has what could possibly be more good news for the state.

 

“Maybe as even that latter part of this week we’ll see the lessening of some of the guidelines that we still have that are still in place,” said Justice. “We want to be able to live and live with this virus.”

 

Justice did not say what those relaxations would be and what that would entail. However, announcements of this nature have been followed by either an easing of restrictions or an addition to restrictions in the past.

 

“It’s premature to say exactly what (areas will be relaxed) at this time,” said Justice.

 

The announcement comes as Justice announced the state will receive the highest number of vaccines to be distributed since vaccines became available. Justice said the state will receive 34,100 doses of Moderna, 36,720 doses of Pfizer, and 15,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson, which received FDA approval Friday from the federal government.

 

“We now have 11.7 percent of the total population totally vaccinated,” said Justice. “If West Virginia was a country, we would be seventh in the world.”

 

This comes on news of the state having a 44^th straight day of active cases dropping. The total of active cases is now under 7,000.

 

As for other numbers, Justice said more than half of the state’s residents over the age of 65 have received their vaccine. He added that 310,000 residents have registered to receive the vaccine on the state’s Everbridge system.

 

Justice also said there are currently nine outbreaks in the state’s long-term care facilities, while one church outbreak – Webster County – is active. The state’s jails have 17 staff members that are COVID-19 positive along with 83 inmates.

 

Justice had news on the economic and education front as well. He said the month of February saw the state with a surplus of $34.2 million and a fiscal year surplus of $208 million.

 

The governor said he asked for the deadline to the Promise Scholarship to be pushed back, and that is going to happen. He also added that students looking to take the ACT test this year will be able to do so at no cost.

 

Justice started the press briefing with the report of the most recent deaths, including the fact there were no deaths reported in the last 24 hours. However, there were nine deaths reported on Saturday and Sunday.

 

“We have lost nobody in the last 24 hours. That is something that has been a long time coming. On Saturday and Sunday, deaths reported of nine people …We hate like crazy to think about these nine people,” said Justice.

 

The state currently has 2,300 deaths.