Color-Coding System Will Be Used In Reopening West Virginia Schools
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A color-coding system will be used in West Virginia amid the coronavirus pandemic to decide whether each county will be allowed to restart in-person classes.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources developed the system, which assigns each county a color — green, yellow, orange or red — based on the seven-day average of new daily cases per 100,000 population, Gov. Jim Justice said Friday.
The Department of Education released the color-coding system, WSAZ-TV in Huntington reported. An updated map will be posted online every Saturday.
Green indicates minimal community transmission, and counties may operate under general reentry guidelines while continuing to follow best health practices to prevent spreading the disease.
Yellow means moderate community transmission, and increased restrictions may be needed.
Orange means higher community transmission, and further restrictions will be necessary.
Red indicates substantial community transmission, and all in-person instruction is suspended and remote learning plans are to be activated.
Justice has pushed back the start of the school year to Sept. 8. He said recently that a final decision on the reopening would have to be made by Sept. 1.
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