Preston County’s government buildings are set to open May 18

KINGWOOD — Preston County’s government buildings are set to open May 18, but it won’t be business as usual.

Preston County Administrator Kathy Mace told county commissioners Tuesday “we want to do some things by appointment, and we want to do other things by walk through.”

Someone will be at the door to control the number of people in county buildings, and people may have to wait outside or in their cars at times.

Foot traffic in buildings will be directed. Shields have been put onto counters and it is “imperative” that everyone wear a mask, Mace said.

One of the most difficult things will be coordinating with the courts, because when hearings run long, it impacts the number of people who can enter the building.

“I wouldn’t call this a full blown opening because we will have a limit on the number of people in the building,” Mace said.

The county is working along guidelines set by the governor on the number of people allowed per square foot, she said.

In his weekly COVID-19 report, County Health Director V.J. Davis said he has begun listing the number of Prestonians tested for COVID-19. On Tuesday the total was 684. But, Davis cautioned, that figure needs to be taken with a caution.

That’s because there’s no requirement that tests done outside the county on Prestonians be reported to the county. “They do report negative cases to the state health department, however, that information is not broken down by county, only the total number of positive cases are broken down by county,” Davis said.

He also strongly recommended that people wear a face covering, even if it’s just pulling up their shirt, while in public. “This virus is still very much here, just as much as it was a week ago,” Davis said. “We need to be vigilant.”

Anyone who works in a store should wear a mask, he advised, and employers are required to offer them.
However, there are no regulations requiring people to wear face
coverings.

In other discussions, Mace said the state has not yet replied to the county’s request to be allowed to pay only a portion of the regional jail bills through the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30. It plans to catch up on the bills in the new fiscal year. The April bill was $89,404.25.

TWEET @DominionPostWV