West Virginia Governor tightens restrictions for 3 counties amid Coronavirus

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has tightened restrictions on three counties and ordered in the National Guard to try and curb a Coronavirus hotspot in the state’s eastern panhandle, which includes suburbs of Washington.

In an executive order Friday, the Republican restricted people in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties to gatherings of no more five. He directed all businesses, including those deemed essential under Justice’s statewide stay-at-home order, to work from home or remotely to the maximum extent possible.

The order also tells local health departments to establish the maximum occupancy and proper social distance for essential businesses and enforce them. Additionally, it directs the West Virginia State Police to help enforce county orders and the National Guard to provide logistical support and services to help county agencies.

Updated totals Saturday morning showed 49 cases in Berkeley, 17 in Jefferson and one in Morgan.

“To stop the spread of COVID-19 we MUST stay at home,” Justice said in a news release Friday. “I’m going to continue to do everything I can to protect the health and safety of all West Virginians.”

At a news conference Friday, Justice said he had just learned details of a virus hotspot in the eastern panhandle.

At least 282 people in West Virginia have the virus, with 7,686 tests performed, according to state data released Saturday. Two people have died, an 88-year-old Marion County woman and a Jackson County resident with several underlying health issues.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks, and the overwhelming majority of people recover. But severe cases can need respirators to survive, and with infections spreading exponentially, hospitals across the country are either bracing for a coming wave of patients, or already struggling to keep up.