March 23
March 24
March 25
WVU Hospitals no-visitor policy
School closure extended to April 20 Clay Marsh appointed WV COVID-19 Czar
WV stay-at-home order
equitable instruction for students who don’t have internet access? For students with learning disabilities? How can prom happen, or a yearbook be finished? Should graduation ceremonies be conducted virtually? Postponed? Cancelled? Solutions to those questions swirled as the virus’s timeline evolved.
welding online? It’s all the support people—they’re proving to be the more difficult ones to transition online. We’re still in the exploration phase.” Williamson foresees a return in force to theater performance when this is over. “The people who typically do this work like to collaborate in groups, get together as teams,” he says. And to theater attendance: “There’s a human connection in the theater, not only with fellow audience members, but connecting with the people on stage who are playing characters, sharing joy, sadness, whatever the show is about. That’s part of the human connection we all crave.” K-12 and college administrators grappled with important challenges beyond the sudden shift to online instruction. How do you provide
of food pantry and free store Christian Help, as the need to minimize gatherings became apparent in the second half of March. Staff have already long practiced good hand hygiene, and they added sanitary wipe-downs every 15 minutes. “It hasn’t been that big of a stretch. And the line out front hasn’t been too bad. The main needs are food and financial support—a lot of people that have been laid off didn’t get much notice.” Free meals served at churches and nonprofits downtown continue, but they no longer serve as social gatherings. “No group meals. The church is closed,” said Jim Chapman, kitchen manager at Morgantown Community Kitchen, which serves free
Meeting the most basic needs Already adept at handling a chronic
emergency, the social services network that provides critical services to the neediest among us was well-prepared to manage this acute one. “What we’ve done that’s different is simply that we’re limiting public access to the building to 10 people, and that includes people who are working on the floor,” said Colleen Lankford, executive director
A Morgantown Community Kitchen volunteer packs lunches for delivery.
58 wvl • the community issue 2020
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