Pocahontas County COVID-19 Task Force Meeting: 1/29/21 9 a.m.
The next Pocahontas County Task Force meeting will be on 2/5/21 at 9 a.m.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT 22 active cases in the county (DHHR website). Numbers are dropping in the county. No outbreaks. Large community vaccine clinic at the high school this week was successful. As of today, 200+ second doses of vaccine have been given to our 80 and older population.
POCAHONTAS COUNTY SCHOOLS The Board of Education met on Tuesday. The re-entry plan is going well so far. Per the governor’s guidance, winter sports have been postponed until March 1. Discussions are ongoing regarding winter athletics and attendance parameters for those events.
The schools will offer a June summer school session for students in need. The intention is to open this up to K-12 students. There will be a survey on the Board of Education website for parents/guardians interested in this option. Attendance caps are being discussed and will depend on the amount of interest. Parents/guardians will be notified when the survey is available.
The next Board meeting is on Tuesday, February 16, at 5:30 p.m.
LIBRARIES All locations are open for in-person visits. Visits are for no longer than 30 minutes in duration and facial coverings are required. There are multiple programs available through the library, including Virtual Teen & Adult Book Clubs, Story Time for children, and Homeroom Tutoring for all ages. Tutoring services are available virtually or in-person. If anyone is interested in learning more about these programs, please call 304-799-6000 or email faith@pocahontaslibrary.org.
FAMILY RESOURCE NETWORK Food is provided from Mountaineer Food Bank, as well as donations from community members and organizations. Food inventory levels are low, which is typical for this time of year. Donations are encouraged. There is also a 10th Avenue Food Pantry in Marlinton that is open on Thursdays.
SENECA HEALTH SERVICES Seneca Health Services offices are open, with a focus on telehealth. Crisis Assistance Services are available 24 hours a day by calling 304-799-6865. All calls are free & confidential. The National Suicide Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. Please check on people and seek help if you need support during this time.
HIGH ROCKS Many high school seniors have not signed up for the Promise and FAFSA and the March 1 deadline is quickly approaching.
Please encourage seniors to get online https://educationalliance.org/contest/ on the Education Alliance website to apply for Promise AND FAFSA. 140 students who fill out both applications are eligible for prizes including, AirPods, wireless printer, mini-fridge, or $20.
In addition, if students and parents need any help, there is a virtual workshop offered by High Rocks to assist in filling these out. High Rocks Academy will be hosting a virtual FAFSA workshop on Feb. 10 from 3 – 5 p.m. open to West Virginia students and parents. Interested parties can register here.
ELECTED OFFICIALS John Rebinski wanted to recognize that the vaccination effort in the county has had great participation and is very well organized. Thank you to all involved!
BROADBAND The Pocahontas County Broadband Council had its first meeting this week. Working on informational meetings right now.
FRAUD ALERT Please be aware that there has been a rise in fraudulent unemployment claims. Look out for tax forms for claims that may have been filed in your name.
CVB We are very thankful for the strong partnerships that exist across the county. They have allowed us to work together during this time. For the fiscal year through November, hotel/motel tax was down 14%. This could have been a much bigger decrease and is a positive sign for the county.
Mountain State Maple Days will be on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, March 20 with sugar camp tours at Frostmore Farm, Fort Warwick, and Yew Mountain Center. More to come on maple-themed menus available at local restaurants. https://naturesmountainplayground.com/agritourism
SNOWSHOE would like to emphasize that we are in full cooperation and constant communication with the local Health Department. The well-being of our community and staff is of the utmost importance to us. After thorough investigation via contact tracing, the rise in cases has not been attributed to guest visitation. We are working diligently to monitor all areas of the resort. Cases have begun to decline, and we hope to continue that downward trend. The contact tracing at the resort goes above and beyond CDC and Health Department recommendations to include indirect as well as direct contacts. Due to this contact tracing, there were a large number of employees on quarantine for potential exposures. The resort would like to clarify that not all of these individuals are/were positive.
We implemented detailed COVID operational policies before the start of the ski season, including capacity restrictions and reductions across the resort. Facial coverings are required in all public indoor spaces, in outdoor queues, in lift lines, and while loading and unloading lift chairs. Once the resort became aware of a rise in cases, there were additional measures put in place immediately, including coordinating free testing with PMH, moving employee housing to single occupancy, increased cleaning protocols around the resort, further reductions in capacity to Lift Tickets & Tube Park, further reductions to indoor capacity for Rental locations, canceling all weekend events for the remainder of the season, and implementing curbside check-in for lodging guests.
Submitted by Sarah Guyette, Snowshoe, and Sarah Riley, High Rocks
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