Now that W.Va. Governor Jim Justice ordered mandatory face coverings in the Mountain State when in public places and buildings, one member of law enforcement in the Northern Panhandle explained he and his deputies with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office enforce laws and not executive-order mandates.
Chief Deputy Bill Helms said a mandate is not a law in the state of West Virginia, and therefore should not be an issue for police.
“It’s up to the people and not law enforcement in any way,” he said. “People just need to do what they think is best. We were shut down for a couple of months so we could learn how best to protect ourselves, and the face-covering around other people has always been a part of it. But if people feel they can take care of themselves without a mask, that’s up to them.
“Our deputies did wear masks in the beginning of the pandemic out of immediate precautions, but now they are not because we’ve learned through this process,” Helms continued. “Now, if a call concerns the possibility, then sure, the masks go on, and in same cases, so do the gloves. It’s all about keeping our deputies safe and keeping the residents of Marshall County safe.”
But what if he or a deputy see more than 100 people are crowded together?
“So many people are so divided over certain issues right now in our country and in this area, and this mandate is one of those things,” Helms said. “There may be some civil implications if the county health department gets involved with a situation, but one thing is for sure, and that is that you will not go to jail for not wearing a mask. I wear one, but it’s up to the individual.”
To Wear or not to Wear?
Neither Chief Deputy Helms nor W.Va. Del. Erikka Storch know what to expect here in the Northern Panhandle now that Gov. Justice has, in essence, asked Mountain State residents to use some sort of face covering when social distancing is not possible.
“When I go to the grocery store, I see a lot of people wearing the masks, but I really can’t say that it’s the majority of the people in there,” said Storch. “I always have one with me for those situations, and I usually try to social distance from those not wearing them because of the information that we’ve learned.
“Will there be more people wearing them now? I don’t know because that depends on how the private sector in the state reacts. If those companies decide that it is best to adopt the mask update for their stores, then yes, we’ll start seeing more people with them on in those stores,” she said. “Since it will be in place (today), I guess we’ll all find out. I know I’ll make sure to have mine when I go to shop.”
The governor’s executive order was delivered after a spike in the amount of recorded positive cases was realized during the last four weeks. According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia had recorded 3,442 positive tests for COVID-19, and 95 deaths as of Monday evening.
“And with those numbers in mind, people are going to make their decisions about wearing a mask or not wearing a mask,” Helms said. “I know some people that have had them since the beginning, and I know some folks who are dead set against it, so we will see if the mandate means something to those who haven’t been wearing them.”
