West Virginia COVID-19 pandemic State of Emergency to end January 1, 2023

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A State of Emergency in West Virginia that was first issued in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started in the United States will end on Jan. 1, 2023, according to a proclamation by Gov. Jim Justice.

The proclamation, filed on Nov. 12, says a State of Emergency was declared on March 4, 2020, to begin creating measures to prepare for COVID-19, and another on March 16, 2020.

It says the State of Emergency will be terminated on Jan. 1, 2023, so it will give officials time to lift the rules and reinstate ones from before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proclamation talks about West Virginia’s response to the pandemic. It says West Virginia, “led the Nation in many ways, including the quick decision to vaccinate our elderly and those in nursing homes as soon as shots were available.

As of Nov. 29, 2022, 7,605 West Virginians have died from complications related to COVID-19, the WV DHHR says. They say there have been more than 600,000 total cases in West Virginia since 2020.

To read the full proclamation, click here.