Thread by @BradMcElhinny

Justice starting: "It's been a long weekend for West Virginia. We see our numbers continuing to move in a way that is not becoming of the way we want to go."

https://twitter.com/WVMetroNews/status/1282715505623793667

Justice cites 96th death: "We lost a West Virginian a year younger than me."

"I just can't imagine I would pick up some virus that would take my life. And yet it could. It's continued to do that all across our state."

Justice: "We need sincerity to protect your neighbors. We need to really, really be smart."

Justice: "We are in great shape with our hospitals, but no guarantee that it's going to stay that way."

Justice cites 340 active cases in Monongalia County, about a fourth of the state total.

"They're growing, absolutely, at an alarming rate in the range of 20 to 29 years of age."

Justice: "In Mon County, we've got to do something. They're a real hot spot."

Justice is ordering bars in Monongalia County to close for 10 days.

"I am hopeful we'll begin to see a correction in the numbers."

"We've got a tremendous number of students who have now come back, and we have a situation from 20 to 29 years of age."

Justice: "For every day we miss, many, many, many people who are asymptomatic are going to affect others."

Justice: "If things turn south on us in a great big way, our rural hospitals would struggle. We would lose people after people after people."

So, 10 days gets you to July 23

WVU students return August 19, right?

wvu.edu/return-to-camp…

Justice: "We still have no problem whatsoever serving alcohol in a restaurant while you're dining there and having your meal."

"We have got to significantly restrict the crowd sizes again."

It had been 100.

Now it's 25.

I believe this means across the state.

Also, no fairs and festivals.

He rather swiftly says they're all canceled

Justice holds up image of crowded church in Fairmont.

"We're just asking for it."

More images here:

https://twitter.com/JarrydPowell/status/1282531498453807105?s=20

Justice rips Florida's Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican: "Their governor was just hot as he can be" talking about what great shape the state was in

"What are they gonna do? What are they gonna do?"

Justice: "Absolutely it is mandatory that you wear a mask at church, and it is absolutely the smart thing to do."

Back on fairs and festivals: He clarifies that if you can do it with fewer than 25, "great."

So they're not, technically, canceled

But are there any fairs or festivals of fewer than 25 people?

Is that a carnival? A picnic?

Third clarification of fairs and festivals: "If you can limit the crowd size to 25, we're good to go as far as our fairs and festivals."

"This is a statewide thing to where you have got to limit to 25 people in a crowd."

Justice: "I am so glad that we're not Texas."

"This is the only bullet in the gun right now."

Marsh, who had appeared live in front of legislators this morning, is not in the same room with the governor now. Maybe he's over at the mansion?

Anyway, coronavirus response coordinator Marsh, says younger and younger people are being affected

"These people are now being hospitalized. They're finding their way to the ICUs."

Marsh: "Sometimes we've got to slow down and stop and maybe take a step backwards as we look at those precise counties and areas of West Virginia that are being affected differently."

"We see Mon County as that county right now."

Justice: "We have a misunderstanding, a miscommunication."

Fourth clarification on fairs and festivals coming up

Justice: "If you have a fair or festival where you can socially distance 25 people or everything we're fine."

"But for the most part if you've got a fair or festival in West Virginia, we're done for now."

Justice: "Fairs and festivals for all practical purposes are gone. Outdoor concerts are gone."

"This does not apply to a Little League. It does not apply to an outdoor pool" if you can social distance.

Q from @cyoungIII about whether 25-limit applies to worship services, and how would 1st Amendment apply?

Justice: "It does not apply. We designated that churches were essential functions before."

Justice points to existing guidelines

"People need to understand the danger they are exposing themselves and all kinds of people beyond that setting."

"If there's any place on the planet we should be loving our neighbors, it's there."

Q from Kennie Bass about odds of having to shut down bars or anything else around the rest of the state

Justice: "We, statewide, are in a good spot."

"It can get really bad, and I'm trying to prevent that from happening to us."

Justice says small odds of going back to a broad stay-home order

Justice: "We're not getting any feedback from people who are pushing back from the standpoint of not wearing a mask."

my jaw actually hit the floor. ow, it hurts

Q from @KaraLofton: "What's happening with schools in the fall?"

Justice: "I get accused of making this update on covid having political ramifications because I've said positive things about our president. But, you know, I will not be pressured by our president or anyone with regards to putting our kids back in school."

Justice: "Could we go to school today? There's no way."

Justice: "Today, I couldn't put us back in school."

He cites concern about students, teachers and school personnel.

But, "I hope to goodness we will be able to go back to school."

Q from Paul Mullan: "With colleges returning, are you willing to go the route of having students returning to students from outside areas go into quarantine for 14 days?"

Justice: "Everything's got to be on the table."

Q from @MarkCurtisWOWK about guests and staffers at The Greenbrier, which Justice's family owns, not wearing masks

Justice says he met Dr. Jimmy Andrews over at The Greenbrier. "He's looking after this hip situation I've got." Justice says he wore a mask

Justice: "I haven't seen what you're talking about," saying he hasn't been at The Greenbrier recently aside from the one instance

"I absolutely would take big time issue about people at The Greenbrier not wearing masks."

Q from @dbeardtdp about discussions between the state and Monongalia County officials

Justice: "We're working through all that."

He says Marsh and Dr. Amjad were directly part of the discussions with local officials

Q from @stevenadamswv: "What are we doing about enforcement?" on mask orders

Justice: "I really believe overwhelmingly we have made unbelievable progress on people wearing masks today versus when I was saying 'come on, come on' and I was pleading with them."

Justice ends by saying three times: "Don't let anyone steal your joy."