A COMMUNITY PREPARED There’s nothing like a COVID spike to focus policymakers’ minds. When cases quadrupled in Mon County in the first half of July, city and county leaders quickly set rules to keep it from happening in a much bigger way after school starts in the fall. Here’s what they put in place. Gatherings limited to 25 Public and private community gatherings of more than 25 people, indoors and outdoors, are prohibited in Morgantown. Reasonable exceptions apply to residences, workplaces, and health care and social services agencies—the intent is to prevent careless and unnecessary prolonged contact that can result in many new infections. Violations are misdemeanors carrying fines of up to $500. Wear a mask People over the age of 9 are required to wear face coverings in indoor public places in Morgantown that don’t allow for adequate distancing, except when eating or drinking. Medical exceptions are recognized. A violation carries a fine of up to $500. The Monongalia County Health Department asks businesses throughout the county to uphold this same standard, and it relies on the three strikes rule below as incentive. Three strikes This rule recognizes that the managers of places where people congregate indoors— bars, restaurants, gyms—are the best ones to prevent the spread. Any establishment associated with an outbreak—that’s three cases or more—is shut down for deep cleaning and inspection. A second outbreak shuts it down for 14 days, deep cleaning, and inspection. And a third outbreak shuts it down indefinitely. Establishments that want to stay open have incentive to monitor patrons’ behavior; patrons who witness failure to enforce can contact the Health Department.
GEARING UP
The new school year affects all of us. Morgantown and Monongalia County are ready.
Ever since COVID-19 closed classrooms in schools and colleges across the state in March, the question has been in the air: What’s going to happen when it’s time for schools to re- open in the fall? Since then, it’s been a summer of simple pleasures—more porch time than beach time and more family movies than family reunions. We’ve washed our hands and followed health recommendations more than ever before. We’ve been reminded how connected we all are and how our choices affect each other. Meanwhile, education professionals at all levels have been trying to find the sweet spot—the best way to educate kids, give preK–12 parents some certainty about what their days will be like, get university students the knowledge they need, and keep everyone safe through it all. The number and variety of proposals has been bewildering. Still, the school year had to come, and it’s just about here. We detail in most of this publication the decisions the university and the state and county school systems have landed on.
But in a pandemic, the school year and the joyful social mixing it brings—friends together on busses, in classrooms, and on sports fields; college students back from homes across the state and beyond meeting for study and fun—that mixing doesn’t affect only the education community; it affects every one of us. So as summer progressed, city and county officials looked for answers, too. Which rules maximize freedom while minimizing community spread, and how do you best enforce them? What would give businesses the support and incentive to monitor what goes on under their roofs? Are there ways to continue having the interactions and celebrations we all love without letting the virus bust out? As we head into the latter part of August, Monongalia County has done a better job than most counties in the nation of keeping the virus under control. Because residents have learned to wear masks, keep a respectful distance, and wash their hands, we’re able to keep our shops and restaurants open and our hospitals under capacity. Getting people together is going to mean new infections, no doubt. And we have to expect county and city ordinances and school operating policies to shift as the semester unfolds. But we’ve learned a lot in five months—the policies in place now represent a start at giving students a good semester, safely.
We’ve worked together to plan for the fall. Now we have to follow through together. We’ve got this. — Morgantown Mayor Ron Dulaney
For more details, visit morgantownwv.gov and monchd.org .
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