Twenty-three W.Va. Counties Will Be Remote, Virtual School This Week

The West Virginia Department of Education announced that 23 counties will be remote learning-only for the week of Nov. 29. State officials rolled out updated data Saturday, Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. Gov. Jim Justice has called for all schools to begin the week in remote learning, with those in green, yellow and gold able to return to in-person or blended learning models on Thursday, Dec. 3.

Mason, Mineral, Ritchie, Wirt and Wyoming counties, which were in the red zone on the state’s color-coded map, will not be open for in-person instruction this week.

Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Marshall, Mingo, Ohio, Pocahontas, Putnam, Taylor, Wayne and Wood counties were in the orange category and will also be remote learning-only.

Additionally, Upshur County, as of Saturday evening, is the only county that voluntarily entered the red designation to offer remote learning-only.

The COVID-19 Data Review Panel also announced that seven counties shifted in their color zones. They included:

• Hancock County: Moved from orange to gold due to data validation and one case updated with the correct county of residence.
• Harrison County: Moved from gold to orange due to data validation, 14 cases updated to confirmed status and two cases updated with the correct county of residence.
• Jefferson County: Moved from gold to orange due to data validation and one case updated to confirmed status.
• Logan County: Moved from yellow to green due to data validation and lab results updated to the correct county of residence.
• Ritchie County: Moved from orange to red due to turning red on the DHHR 10:00am Saturday map.
• Upshur County: Moved from yellow to gold due to data validation, eight cases updated to confirmed status and two cases updated with the correct county of residence.

Red (Substantial Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. No extracurricular competitions or practices are permitted. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in red include: Mason, Mineral, Ritchie, Wirt, Wyoming

Orange (Heightened Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. Extracurricular practices may occur, however, competitions may not. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in orange include: Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Marshall, Mingo, Ohio, Pocahontas, Putnam, Taylor, Wayne, Wood

Gold (Elevated Community Transmission): In-person instruction is permitted with restrictions, including face coverings at all times for grades 3-12. Extracurricular activities are permitted. Competitions can take place against schools within the same county as well as schools in other gold counties. Counties in gold include: Barbour, Cabell, Hancock, Morgan, Preston, Upshur, Wetzel

Yellow (Increased Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings at all times for grades six and above. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in yellow include: Calhoun, Fayette, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Marion, McDowell, Monroe, Nicholas, Pleasants, Raleigh, Tyler

Green (Minimal Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings in grades three and above when students are outside of core groups and in congregant settings and on school buses. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in green include: Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Logan, Mercer, Monongalia, Pendleton, Randolph, Roane, Summers, Tucker, Webster

All schools, both public and private, are expected to adhere to the WVDE’s re-entry map to guide in-person instruction and extracurricular activities.

Updates to the map are announced each Saturday at 5 p.m. and will be in effect until the following Saturday at the same time, according to the WVDE. The only exception would be if a county turns red during the week.

If this happens, the change would be made immediately to the map, according to the WVDE, and all in-person instruction and extracurricular and athletic activities would be suspended.

As of Saturday morning, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports 45,845 total cases of the virus and 718 deaths. More than 15,700 cases are considered active. In the past 24 hours, more than 790 new cases have been identified in the state.