“We have had every opportunity in these counties (to slow the spread), and I’ve been out in front of you over and over saying, ‘test, test,’ and, in a lot of situations, we didn’t do it. I say, ‘wear your mask, wear your mask,’ [and] we didn’t do it. We’re continuing in every way to look at each and every thing, as far as the possibility of shutting something down, whatever it may be. We sure don’t want to go that way if we can possibly avoid it.”
And then he said: “I don’t know what else I can do. I have given it everything I have. I don’t know what else I can do.”
What else can he do?
Initially, the governor had briefings broadcast each weekday and sometimes on weekends, but the last few months he scaled back to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Each time Justice urged wearing a mask, getting tested, and remaining socially distanced. He has offered the best advice available from the Center for Disease Control over and over and over again.
“Big Jim” even has gone against President Trump when it has come to taking and suggesting precautions, and to this point the governor has remained virus free and the commander in chief has not.
So, what else could Justice have done besides expressing compassion for the dead, presenting an urgency to West Virginians during his briefings, and implementing guidelines and restrictions with help from the DHHR and the WVDE? Granted, Justice deserves criticism for not being a full-time governor who actually lives into the state-owned mansion, and for using those briefings as campaign speeches prior to Election Day was gaudy as all get-out.
What, another stay-at-home order? Another shutdown? Those actions were understandable in the beginning so we could learn how to safely operate but blaming Justice for the spike that is taking place in the Mountain State right now is political and is nonsense. This pandemic is seven months old now and if the people of this state and nation still do not understand how to best protect themselves and others, that’s on them.
It’s on the people at this point.
