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BUCKHANNON -- The first confirmed case of coronavirus in Upshur County was announced by the state Department of Health and Human Resources Thursday night.
No further details about the case had been released by press time. The state now has a total of 76 total positive results from COVID-19 testing.
Sue McKisic, nurse director of the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department, and other local officials briefed the Upshur County Commission Thursday morning on COVID-19 response updates.
The health department is encouraging everyone to keep a journal of who they have been in contact with for the last 14 days in case they test positive for COVID-19.
"We just cannot express how much tracking is done with this. I really feel for places that have a lot more exposures than what we have because it can be months before they can get all of this done. I don't foresee that this is going to be ending anytime soon."
Dr. Joseph Reed, part-time health officer for the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department, commended all the coordinating agencies for their response to COVID-19.
"The meetings we are having twice a week with about 25-30 stakeholders in the county have been a positive exchange of information," he said.
"I'd like to ask each of us to try to help our neighbors but at the same time try to maintain our safety. I think there are many examples of people going beyond the normal."
• County Clerk Carol Smith said the Secretary of State's office is encouraging absentee ballots for the May 12 Primary.
"It's going to be hard to manage crowds to keep poll workers safe," she said.
Counties are already having trouble recruiting poll workers who are afraid of being exposed to COVID-19.
"They are wanting masks," she said. "It's essential that medical personnel have them but I'm working on ways to get masks for poll workers."
Smith said she was already receiving requests for absentee ballots.
"We are working with the Secretary of State's office and the decision has been made to send absentee ballot applications via postcard to every registered voter in West Virginia," she said. "We are working on getting contacts with printing vendors to get these out. The target date to get these in the mail, at this point, is April 6.
Smith said this Election Day will look different and stressed the need to be flexible.
April 21 is the last day to register to vote for the May 12 primary and May 6 is the last day to request an absentee ballot.
• The Upshur County Commission also approved the formation of a joint development entity with the Upshur County Development Authority, a step that is required to receive new market tax credits for the new innovation center.
Rob Hinton, executive director of the Upshur County Development Authority, said, "The joint entity is a special purpose entity where a project that is eligible for new market tax credit funding and when the new market tax credit funds are utilized. The project itself, in this case a physical real estate asset, must be placed in a special purpose entity.
"This is by the code (WV Chapter 7 Article 12) that dictates the new market tax credit program as well as it mitigates risk for the investor that is purchasing the new market tax credits that the project utilizes to complete construction and successfully get the project up."