COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice orders all corrections facility inmates and employees statewide to be tested for COVID-19

No additional staff members have tested positive. Additional tests from the facility remain pending at several labs across the state.

Click here to view the latest correctional facilities testing data

“For a long, long time, we were testing those in our jail facilities and we were pitching a perfect game. We didn’t have any positives,” Gov. Justice said during the briefing earlier in the day. “Well, now, all of the sudden we have an outbreak. And so what do we do? We do exactly what we should do and that’s run to that fire.”

“We have enough testing capability, so we’re going to test everyone in all of our prison facilities,” Gov. Justice said. “So we are running to that fire and we are going to take care of it.”

“The Governor has stated that he wants all corrections facilities tested,” Sec. Sandy said. “We worked into the late hours last night with the DHHR, our healthcare providers, local health departments, and the West Virginia National Guard to lay out how we are going to accomplish that.”

This optional, free testing is especially recommended for high-risk individuals, including minority populations and those with pre-existing health conditions. However, the testing is available to all residents, including asymptomatic individuals.

Efforts to test susceptible populations in other regions across West Virginia are set to continue throughout this week and into the weekend.

Today marks the final day of testing in Fayette County. Testing concludes at 6 p.m.

• FAYETTE COUNTY
  • Oak Hill High School: 350 W. Oyler Avenue, Oak Hill
    • Thursday, May 28  |  2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

• BERKELEY COUNTY
  • Musselman High School: 126 Excellence Way, Inwood
    • Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• JEFFERSON COUNTY
  • Hollywood Casino: 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town
    • Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• KANAWHA COUNTY
  • Shawnee Sports Complex: One Salango Way, Dunbar
    • Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• MINERAL COUNTY
  • American Legion Piedmont: 10 Green Street, Piedmont
    • Friday, May 29  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • School Complex: 1123 Harley O. Staggers Senior Drive, Keyser
    • Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• MORGAN COUNTY
  • Warm Springs Middle School: 271 Warm Springs Way, Berkeley Springs
    • Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30  |  9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

“The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great job fighting the CoronaVirus. This week, I will extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help States succeed in their response and recovery efforts.”

After learning of this commitment to National Guard members across the country, Gov. Justice commended President Trump for making this pledge, which will also benefit West Virginia’s guardsmen and women by allowing them to receive pay and benefits from the federal government, while continuing their important work helping the State respond to the ongoing pandemic.

“He’s done a fabulous job and I love him to death,” Gov. Justice said. “This extension until mid-August is really, really good. Basically, what this does is it rewards the members of the National Guard with lots of extra benefits and things that they deserve.

“They deserve it tenfold, and I’m sure the President feels the same way.”

Click here to read more about all the West Virginia National Guard’s response efforts

“West Virginia, around all of this massive population, has numbers that are phenomenal,” Gov. Justice said. “East of the Mississippi River, it is unbelievable what you, as West Virginians, have done here in this great state.”

A new web portal is now available for city and county government officials to apply for this grant funding, at grants.wv.gov. Interested parties can also call the helpline: 1-833-94-GRANT.

Every West Virginian who does not respond to the Census represents a loss of $20,000 in federal funds over the next 10 years for the state and its local communities. The funds can go toward things like healthcare, education, infrastructure, school lunch programs, and more.

Be counted in minutes: 2020census.gov.

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.