Lifting the mask mandate

May 8—CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice said Friday the mask mandate will be lifted June 20, the 158th birthday of the state, regardless of where the COVID vaccination percentage stands.

"I am targeting a different approach," he said during his pandemic briefing, relying on "direct recommendations" from his team of medical experts and his immediate task force. "Our experts tell us by that time, with incentives in place," enough residents will be vaccinated to lift the mandate.

Justice said the projection is that by June 20, 65 percent of the population 12 years old and older will have received at least the first dose, with 75 percent of those 50 and over and 85 percent of residents 65 and over also with at least one dose of the vaccine.

The "glide path" to lift the mandate is called a "Call To Arms," and Justice said even if those numbers are not quite on target, they will be "close enough" to set the June 20 date for no longer requiring masks to be worn in public buildings.

"It coincides perfectly with the birthday of our state," he said.

Justice said the June 20 date is "set in stone," barring an outbreak if "this thing whiplashes on us."

"As we have done before, we can pivot," he said.

One incentive to get people vaccinated is for younger residents between 16 and 35, who will receive $100 (possibly a savings bond, but in some form) after they get fully vaccinated.

The FDA is expected to announce next week the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for 12 to 15 year olds and Justice said the state is ready to handle that.

He also said the 65 percent will go higher as more and more people have easier access to the vaccine and others who may be reluctant to take it now become less fearful of it.

But Justice said there is a relatively small group who refuse to take it, a group he calls the "hell nos."

"Surely to God above we don't want to be one of the hell nos," he said, referring to how vaccinations save lives.

He also said even if those percentages are met, and even passed, earlier than the target date, June 20 will still remain the day the mandate ends.

Dr. Clay Marsh, state COVID-19 Czar, said tying the end of the mask mandate to June 20 makes sense.

"This is a very important date to all of us in West Virginia as a day of celebration and remembering..." he said. "We are once again calling on all West Virginians to help us reach our goals for the vaccinations."

Marsh said he and others on the team believe this is the right target (for percentages and for the date).

"We want to return to our regular lives as soon as we can," he said.

Retired Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, director of the Joint InterAgency Vaccine Task Force, said an all-out effort is being made to reach residents with the vaccine.

"We are going to continue to press through June 20 with a variety of activities," he said, including setting up vaccine clinics in state parks and in schools.

As soon as Pfizer is approved for the 12 to 15 age group, "we will start that day or the next day with the delivery of the vaccine to those who are going to open up school clinics."

Hoyer said those vaccines will be available to students as well as families.

Justice also addressed one of the problems that surfaced relating to a lack of workers in some businesses.

"It's a national problem of finding employees," he said, calling it a "big-time national problem."

"There is a pot full of people that are receiving benefits on top of unemployment from the federal government," he said, referring to the extra $300 a week from the feds for those on unemployment.

Justice said people may think they are better off just taking the money and "go fishing" rather than go to work.

"That is not a patriotic move," he said, adding that the federal government may change that Sept. 6 date, when those extra funds run out, moving it up to July possibly.

"Our businesses need you back on the job ... right now," he said. "If you are afraid to go back to work (because of the virus), get off your butt and go get vaccinated."

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com