CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — At his latest COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Jim Justice said hospitals could start applying next Monday to show the state their plans to resume elective surgeries.
With elective surgeries shut down for a month, it has taken a severe financial toll on many hospitals and their employees and patients’ health.
We’ve got to re-start from the elective surgeries, and from the general care that maybe you’ve been laying to the side, that you need to do. Because if you don’t do some of those things, we could very well lose you, too.
Gov. Jim Justice, (R) West Virginia
State health officials say any hospital that is approved for elective surgery, will have to make sure critical care employees and the patients have been tested. Hospitals must also have enough protective medical gear on hand, to prevent potential spread of COVID-19.
And that’s going to be a very important addition to safely opening up hospitals for surgeries, so that we can support the testing of people coming in, and support the people who work in high-risk areas.
Dr. Clay Marsh, West Virginia COVID-19 Czar
With hospitals getting a one-week heads up to re-open, many are wondering if the governor plans to re-open schools, which are closed through April 30.
You’ll have a decision coming out on that very soon, very soon.
Gov. Jim Justice, (R) West Virginia
Last week, Gov. Justice ordered all 28,000 nursing home residents and employees in the state to be tested or re-tested by Friday, after numerous deaths at those facilities.
Today he says will happen, and that all 140,000 unemployment claims would be processed by Wednesday night.
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