COVID-19
Channel 3 is Live Streaming our City Council Meetings here:
Thank you!
VACCINES:
Upcoming Vaccination Clinics:
https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/Vaccine.aspx
Link to the West Virginia Coronavirus Information Official Website (includes most recent data on the number of COVID-19 cases in WV):
Updated January 28, 2021
The City of Buckhannon encourages residents to practice thorough hand washing and social distancing as a preparedness and mitigation action against the COVID-19 pandemic. The special emergency operations plan is in effect for the duration of the State of Emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
News & Resources (in chronological order, with the most recent post at the top):
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 27, 2021
COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HOST COVID 19 COMMUNITY VACCINATIONS IN BUCKHANNON BUCKHANNON, WV —The Upshur County Health Department has partnered with Community Care of West Virginia, WVU Medicine/St. Joseph’s Hospital, Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Upshur County Commission, Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur and West Virginia Wesleyan College to host a community vaccination clinic for persons aged 65 and over beginning Friday, February 5th, 2021. The clinic will take place at the Events Center at Brushy Fork located at 929 Brushy Fork Road in Buckhannon. All vaccines will be given by appointment only. Upshur County will receive 200 doses per week and these will be allocated to those already on a wait list. Currently, over 2000 community members are on the wait list. Those people will be contacted and given an appointment time. Vaccines will be scheduled by age group, beginning with ages 80 and older. If you have been contacted, please arrive at the Center at your scheduled time. To prevent unnecessary wait times and traffic congestion, do not arrive early. Everyone who is scheduled has an assigned vaccine. All those receiving a vaccine should bring a valid photo ID. Anyone 65 years of age and older interested in the vaccine should call 1-833-734-0965 or visit vaccinate.wv.gov to be placed on the waiting list. All requests to be put on a waiting list must go through the statewide phone number or website. If you have already been put on a waiting list in Upshur County, you do not need to register again.
Media Contacts:
Ronna Dittman, media@ccwv.org
Lisa Wharton, Lisa.Wharton1@wvumedicine.org
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 1705 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 27 probable for a total of 1,732, 241 currently active, and eleven (20) deaths as of January 21, 2021:
Press release from Upshur County Schools:
Upshur County Students, Families and Staff prepare for “Super Tuesday”
Students Return to School on January 19, 2021
On Wednesday evening, the Upshur County Board of Education voted to return to in-person teaching and learning, using the blended format. Students will return on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. We are so excited about the return of our students that we are referring to this as our “Super Tuesday”!
During the meeting, the Upshur County Board of Education agreed to follow the guidance from the WV Board of Education (WVBE) and resume a two-day blended cohort model beginning January 19, 2021. Face coverings will be mandated for all grades. Upshur County Schools will continue to offer full remote learning using Upshur County teachers. West Virginia Virtual School learning options will remain available. A motion by Katie Loudin, seconded by Dr. Greenbrier Almond, with an amendment by Kristie Wilkerson, was made to include maintenance of physical distancing in all school facilities. The motion carried with a 4-1vote.
The blended learning format was in practice prior to going to full remote in November and will remain consistent. Cohorts will remain as they were last fall. Cohort A, students with last names A-L will attend Monday and Thursday, while Cohort B, students with last names M-Z, will attend Tuesday and Friday. All learning will be fully remote on Wednesday to allow for additional deep cleaning. All schools will dismiss at 2:00pm each day to allow teachers to contact their fully remote students. Students in PreK – 8 will attend in-person regardless of the color of the DHHR map, but attendance at Buckhannon-Upshur High School will be decided by DHHR map. If Upshur County is red on the DHHR map, high school students will not attend in person the following day. Attendance decisions for B-UHS will be made daily based on the DHHR map. B-UHS students have different attendance criteria as a result of research indicating there is a greater infection and transmission rate among high school students, far greater than their younger peers.
Curbside food will be provided at each school on Wednesday. Dates and times will be posted on school and county social media and websites. Stay up to date by downloading our Upshur County Schools app. Sports schedules are below.
Upshur County will closely monitor student progress, our ability to adhere to safety protocols (i.e., social distancing) and the effectiveness of following the stated guidelines as set forth by the WVBE as we prepare for increased time of in-person learning. Full remote learning will continue to be an option for our families. If you have questions, please contact your school.
The Upshur County Board members will review these criteria at the February 23, 2021 Board of Education meeting, which will be held at B-UHS at 6:00pm.
Below are the guidelines set forth by the West Virginia Board of Education and those to which Upshur County Schools will comply:
- The WVBE desires to return students to in-person learning and to ensure that students, teachers, and staff can do so safely. The Board recognizes that in-person learning is the best mode in which to foster a student’s intellectual, social-emotional, and physical growth and well-being.
- To continue to ensure that schools remain safe for students, teachers, and staff, education leaders at the local level are directed to continue monitoring and enforcing the WVDE’s six identified mitigation strategies, especially mask wearing.
- Parents will continue to have the ability to choose a virtual learning option for their children.
For all PreK-8 students in West Virginia
- PreK-8 schools will attend in-person instruction regardless of their county’s color on the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) County Alert System map.
- All PreK-8 students will resume in-person instruction on January 19. Counties do not have the option to implement full countywide remote learning for PreK-8 students. However, a local county board of education retains the authority to work with local health officials and to close individual classrooms or schools when a specific health need related to that classroom or school is identified. Such closures shall be of limited duration and related to the specific health need of the school or classroom. Teachers and staff will continue to provide essential student support services including meals, student engagement, all special education services and support to at-risk students.
- Counties are encouraged to resume in-person instruction 4 or 5 days per week on January 19.
- Counties have the option to utilize blended instruction models beginning January 19. Blended models must provide each student with in-person instruction at least 2 days per week.
For West Virginia students in grades 9 through 12
- High schools will attend school in-person unless their county is red on the DHHR County Alert System map. In-person instruction may consist of blended learning models for students in grades 9-12.
- Consistent with the practice that has been in place since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, high schools will move to remote learning the day after the county turns red on the DHHR County Alert System map.
- High schools may stay in remote learning until the following Monday.
- If the county is not red on the DHHR daily map on Saturday, in-person instruction will resume on the following Monday.
- A county superintendent may determine and direct that a county will resume in-person learning without waiting until the following Monday.
- If the county is still in red status on Saturday or Sunday, remote learning will continue for another week unless the county superintendent directs the resumption of in-person instruction earlier
- A local county board of education retains the authority to work with local health officials and to close individual classrooms or schools when a specific health need related to that classroom or school is identified irrespective of the county’s color on the DHHR County Alert System map. Such closures shall be of limited duration and related to the specific health need of the school or classroom.
- Even when a county is red on the DHHR County Alert System map, teachers and staff will continue essential student support services including meals, student engagement, all special education services and support to at-risk students.
WVSSAC Sports Dates
- February 15- Winter Sports’ Practices Begin for High School and Middle School athletes
- March 3- Competitions begin for Girls’ High School and Middle School Winter Sports
- March 5- Competitions begin for Boys’ High School and Middle School Winter Sports
- March 15- Spring Sports’ Practices Begin for High School athletes
- March 22- Spring Sports’ Practices Begin for Middle School athletes
- April 12- Competitions begin for High School and Middle School Spring Sports
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 1297 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 27 probable for a total of 1324, 181 currently active, and eleven (13) deaths as of January 12, 2021:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 1181 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 27 probable for a total of 1208, 331 currently active, and eleven (11) deaths as of January 8, 2021:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 897 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 27 probable for a total of 924, 161 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of December 30, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 742 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 probable for a total of 764, 112 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of December 22, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 720 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 19 probable for a total of 739, 100 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of December 21, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 665 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 17 probable for a total of 682, 81 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of December 16, 2020:
On Monday, December 14, 2020, Governor Justice announced West Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccine priorities and timeline. Read more here: https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/Vaccine.aspx
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 553 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9 probable for a total of 562, 78 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of December 4, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 521 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9 probable for a total of 530, 92 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of December 1, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 442 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9 probable for a total of 451, 100 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of November 23, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 387 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9 probable for a total of 396, 81 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of November 18, 2020:
Reminder: Face coverings must be worn in public indoor spaces as mandated by the Governor’s Executive Order. Additionally, the WVDHHR has provided posters and media for businesses to download, print, and display.
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with 382 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9 probable for a total of 391, 76 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of November 17, 2020:
Amended Statewide Indoor Face Covering Requirement, effective Saturday, November 14, 2020, from the WV Governor’s Office:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count three hundred and fifty, including 342 confirmed and eight probable (342/8), 57 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of November 12, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count three hundred thirty-eight (338) and six probable (338/6), 76 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of November 10, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count two hundred eighty-eight (288) and six probable (288/6), 45 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of November 5, 2020:
Free COVID-19 Testing Dates & Locations for the week of November 2, 2020 provided by the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count two hundred sixty-eight (268) and four probable (268/4), 42 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of October 30, 2020:
Notice regarding upcoming testing, posted October 29, 2020:
Free public COVID-19 testing will be offered Friday, October 30th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Buckhannon-Upshur High School parking lot.
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count two hundred sixty (260) and four probable (260/4), 48 currently active, and four (4) deaths as of October 27, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count two hundred thirty-four (234) and four probable (234/4), 46 currently active, and one (2) deaths as of October 23, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count two hundred twenty-five (225) and three probable (225/3), 55 currently active, and one (1) death as of October 20, 2020:
Update from the Upshur County Commission, October 19, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count two hundred nine (209) and three probable (209/3), 83 currently active, as of October 16, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count one hundred ninety-seven (197) and three probable (197/3), 93 currently active, as of 3:00 p.m. on October 14, 2020:
COVID-19 Testing the week of Oct. 12 – 16:
Free COVID-19 testing is being offered daily through Friday, October 16th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Buckhannon-Upshur High School parking lot.
Upcoming Free COVID-19 Testing, posted October 9, 2020:
Free COVID-19 testing will be offered Sunday, October 11th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the small loop in front of BUHS.
Free COVID-19 testing will be offered Monday, October 12th from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the large loop in front of the BUHS stadium.
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count one hundred fifty-six (156) and two probable (156/2), 81 currently active, October 8, 2020:
Notice of Upshur County Facilities Open for Essential Business Only, October 5, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count one hundred seventeen (117) and two probable (117/2), 55 currently active, October 4, 2020:
FREE COVID-19 Testing, Today, September 29, 2020, at the Barbour County Fairgrounds:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count eighty-seven (87) and one probable (87/1), 25 currently active, September 29, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count eighty-one (81) and one probable (81/1), 19 currently active, September 27, 2020:
West Virginia Department of Education COVID-19 County Color Code System, updated September 26, 2020:
The latest infographic from the Buckhannon-Upshur COVID-19 Taskforce, posted September 24, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count sixty-five (65) and one probable (65/1), 9 currently active, September 22, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count sixty-three (63) and one probable (63/1), 7 currently active, September 21, 2020:
The latest infographic from the Buckhannon-Upshur COVID-19 Taskforce, posted September 18, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count sixty-two (62) and one probable (62/1), 6 currently active, September 18, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count sixty-two (62) and one probable (62/1), September 16, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count sixty (60) and one probable (60/1), September 14, 2020:
WV Dept. of Education Guidance Infographic, posted September 14, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count fifty-eight (58) and one probable (58/1), September 11, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count fifty (50) and two probable (50/2), September 8, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count forty-one and two probable (41/2), August 31, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count thirty-eight and two probable (38/2), August 18, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count thirty-six and two probable (36/2), August 12, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count thirty-six and three probable (36/3), August 6, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count thirty-six (36/2), July 28, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count thirty-three (33/2), July 23, 2020:
Buckhannon-Upshur CoVid-19 Taskforce Infographic, released July 22, 2020:
Upshur – Buckhannon Health Department Update, July 20, 2020:
West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Return to Campus Plan, posted here July 16, 2020:
Mountain CAP Child Advocacy Center, info on reporting Child Abuse, posted June 19, 2020. The Governor’s Office announced yesterday, July 15, that Mountain CAP would be receiving $88,744 to “provide a unified system of response to allegations of sexual or severe physical abuse and/or neglect, while also providing a safe, neutral, child-friendly site, where additional trauma for the victim is significantly reduced“.
Upshur – Buckhannon Health Department Update, July 13, 2020:
Remember to go get tested today or tomorrow!
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count twenty-one (21/1), July 7, 2020:
City of Buckhannon Employee Policy on Masks and CoViD-19 Testing, approved by Buckhannon City Council on Thursday, July 2, 2020:
Governor Justice Executive Order requiring face coverings, effective July 7, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Flyer on July 10 -11 COVID-19 testing, released July 6, 2020:
Upshur – Buckhannon Health Department Notice on upcoming FREE CoVid-19 Testing, posted July 2, 2020:
Buckhannon-Upshur CoVid-19 Taskforce Infographic, released July 2, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update with case count eighteen (18), June 29, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update regarding 13th case, June 24, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update regarding COVID-19 advisory and safety precautions, June 24, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update, June 24, 2020:
Buckhannon-Upshur Taskforce Infographic, released June 23, 2020:
Reminder, 6/22/2020: The Upshur – Buckhannon Health Department has been posting updates on case counts and additional COVID-19-related information on their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/upshurbuckhannonhealthdept/
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Update, June 18, 2020:
City Council approves measures to open City Hall, Parks, & Library to the Public during City Council meeting, Thursday, May 21, 2020:
Week 4 Re-opening guidance from WV Governor’s Office, May 11, 2020:
Mayor’s Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic, May 7, 2020:
B-U COVID-19 Community Task Force Press Release May 1, 2020:
B-U COVID-19 Community Task Force Press Release April 21, 2020:
B-U COVID-19 Community Task Force Press Release April 17, 2020:
State of West Virginia PUBLIC HEALTH STANDARDS FOR BUSINESSES REMAINING OPEN DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK, effective April 16, 2020:
B-U COVID-19 Community Task Force Press Release April 10, 2020:
Upshur-Health Notice on Second Positive Case in Upshur County, April 9, 2020:
Service Alert from Country Roads Transit, posted here April 9, 2020, with changes in effect since March 24:
Buckhannon-Upshur COVID-19 Community Task Force briefing from April 7, 2020:
Ideas for activities to do with children, B-U COVID-19 Community Task Force, April 7, 2020:
Buckhannon-Upshur COVID-19 Community Task Force Press Release for Friday, April 3, 2020:
Mayor’s Statement and Additional COVID-19 Mitigation Measures taken on Thursday, April 2, 2020 by Buckhannon City Council during the Special Emergency Session prior to the regular meeting of City Council:
Governor’s Executive Order Moving the Primary Election Day to June 9, announced 4/1/2020:
Link to the Executive Order: https://governor.wv.gov/Documents/2020%20Proclamations/EO%2018-20.pdf
Buckhannon-Upshur COVID-19 Community Task Force Update from Tuesday, March 31, 2020:
Buckhannon-Upshur COVID-19 Community Task Force Update from Friday, March 27, 2020:
Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department Notice of first confirmed COVID-19 case in Upshur County (posted 3/27/20):
WV Schools Statewide Closure Extended to April 20, State Tax and Property Tax Deadlines extended (announced March 25 by Governor’s Office):
Joint Press Release of Upshur County Agencies Cooperating on COVID-19 Response, March 24, 2020:
City operations during the Stay at Home Order issued by the State of West Virginia, effective March 24, 2020:
Stay at Home Order, Office of the Governor, issued 3/23/2020 and effective 8PM 3/24/2020:
Upshur County Commission Press Release, March 20, 2020:
Buckhannon City Council Actions taken on Thursday, March 19:
Governor Justice has announced that restaurants and bars are to close, excluding take-out. Later, salons were added to the closures. Please see governor.wv.gov for more information.
Message from Buckhannon Fire Chief JB Kimble (3/17/20 on their FB page, 3/19/20 posted here):
In regards to the covid-19 pandemic:
We are restricting access to the fire station to members only at this time. Anybody needing non-emergency assistance should call the fire station to speak with on-duty personnel. It is of the utmost importance to our continued operation throughout this time that you honor this request.
All CPR courses and fire safety presentations that have been scheduled are canceled at this time. The use of the City of Buckhannon Public Safety Complex Training Room has also been closed to the general public until further notice. Any events that are currently scheduled are being reevaluated 14 days from their scheduled date.
We are communicating with our volunteer and career staff through our normal channels to ensure that if they feel ill, they will not be at the fire station or responding to any emergencies. We are also closely monitoring the availability of our responders to cover emergencies as many could possibly be facing restrictions from employers and due to childcare. If any response concerns arise, we will be making the appropriate decisions to increase staffing at the fire station using available responders and/or other fire departments.
At this time, we are operating as normal when dispatched to emergency incidents in Upshur County and will do our best to continue helping the other emergency agencies as our staffing and resources allow. Some non-emergency requests that are capable of being handled by other entities may not be fulfilled by the Buckhannon Fire Department. We are communicating daily with the Upshur County Office of Emergency Management to ensure the short term and long term delivery of emergency services without interruption.
Lastly, we ask that each of you stay calm, abide by all state and federal guidelines put into place, and acquire information concerning covid-19 from trusted sources such as the CDC and WVDHHR (Links below).
Message from Buckhannon Police Chief Matt Gregory (3/18/20):
- Our lobby (Police Department at Public Safety Complex, 22 S. Florida St.) remains open at this time during regular business hours; however, we are currently discontinuing fingerprint services.
- Access to police department offices is limited to official business or emergency situations. Public tours are currently discontinued at this time.
- Regular police service and patrols remain in effect.
- If calling Comm Center for police service, a dispatcher may ask the caller additional screening questions concerning possible illnesses in order to ensure a safer response from police officers and / or other public safety personnel.
- The volunteer segment of the police department, VIPS, remains ready to assist in the community if needed.
St. Joseph’s Hospital of WVU Medicine Fact Sheet (3/18/20):
PDF for download:
Executive Order from the Governor’s Office closing Restaurants & Bars, except for take-out (3/18/20):
Notice from the White House (3/16/20):
Read about how to pay your utility bill and request other city services remotely here:
Mayor’s Statement on COVID-19:
Notices from the Upshur – Buckhannon Health Department:
Link to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention Coronavirus Information Website:
https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx
The Upshur Buckhannon Health Department is posting updates on their Facebook page here:
Upshur Buckhannon Health Department Facebook
Link to the Governor’s Office website:
https://governor.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx
West Virginia Public Service Commission Preparedness Guide (3/16/2020):
Selected articles from the news media:
