Restaurants back to 100% seating capacity; small business & retail store restrictions lifted; but mask mandate still in effect

The state also is lifting restrictions on small businesses and in retail stores. The state also is lifting capacity restrictions on gyms, fitness centers and museums, Justice added.

In all cases, social distancing must be observed, the governor added, urging state residents to wear masks and stay apart whenever possible.

The state's gathering limit will move up from 75 to 100. Also, youth travel sport restrictions have been lifted, except for counties that are in the red metric on the county alert system map.

Justice mentioned wanting to eventually lift restrictions on fairs and festivals, but he isn't ready to do that yet.

West Virginia isn't backing off on the mask mandate yet, the governor added.

The governor said he wouldn't be influenced by leaders in other states who have nixed mask mandates. He said he would listen to medical experts who still highly advocate mask wearing in public. And Justice implied that leaders who are dropping mask mandates may be politically motivated.

"We're going to take it a little bit slow and easy, but we're going to hope we get it right. We don't do something just to look good in the media," Justice said.

Dr. Clay Marsh, the state's COVID-19 czar, added a word of caution.

"We still need to be very, very aware that this is not over with yet," Marsh said, noting national and international statistics from the virus along with the possibility of variant strains of the virus.

Marsh said the state also will continue constantly monitor businesses and activities, and if spikes occur, Justice will reinstate restrictions, Marsh added.

Added James Hoyer, the retired National Guard major general who leads the state's vaccine effort, in urging continued mask wearing, social distancing and good hand hygiene: "We are close, but stay disciplined."

Justice also on Friday took a moment to reflect on the anniversary of the state ramping up for the arrival of COVID-19.

"Yesterday marked a one-year anniversary, and it's been a tough marriage, has it not? ... It's been one tough year. I thank you for pulling the rope, all of us pulling it together as best as we possibly could," Justice said.

The governor began his pandemic briefing by noting the nine COVID-19 deaths reported since Wednesday.

However, Justice also noted that — for the second time in a week — the state had recorded zero deaths on Thursday. And the reduction of deaths in the last week was 85%, Justice noted.

The state's death toll now is 2,318.

West Virginia's percent positivity reported Friday was as low as it been in a long time at 2.54%, Justice pointed out.

The state's active case count also has dropped for 48 straight days, to 6,144.

West Virginia will get to 100% COVID-19 administration of vaccines received by the end of the week, Justice said. Close to 60 independent pharmacies in the Medicine Shoppe network of independent pharmacies, such as Fruth, have been added along with Walgreens for vaccine administration.

Justice also noted that while the state recently moved the eligibility of teachers and other school staff to receive vaccines to 40 and over, that soon will lower more, to 30 and over. For the general public, the limit is 50 and over.

The state also has administered vaccines to 187,922 of the population 65 and over, and 108,941 have received second doses, Justice said. That's "well over half" of that population that has been vaccinated, "and a bunch, a bunch, a bunch of lives have been saved right there," Justice said.

Officials also will work to schedule essential workers, such as miners, who don't have phones available during the day, Hoyer said.

Officials want to vaccinate 315,000 more state residents over 50, which would get the state to around 75% vaccination rate for that population, Hoyer said.

Hoyer acknowledged there have been challenges where some in their 70s and even in their 80s have not been vaccinated yet. "We know the system's imperfect; we'll continue to work it," Hoyer said, urging residents or their loved ones to call the hotline number.

DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch added that he's asked for state vaccine database officials to send the names of those registered three or more weeks in the older age categories to be moved to the top of the list.

Over 70,000 appointments are being made a week, Crouch said, asking that residents be patient. He noted that some individuals are receiving pharmacy calls even though they've already been vaccinated, and pointed out there's the ability to opt out.

The vaccine hotine is 1-833-734-0965; the online registration portal is vaccinate.wv.gov.

West Virginia also is beginning to target vaccinating the homeless.