On the evening of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, Governor Jim Justice gave a statewide address from the Capitol. In the same address, he announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in West Virginia.
The governor then issued an executive order on restaurants, bars and casinos. The order took effect at 12 a.m. (midnight) on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
What the order did
- Restaurants and bars in West Virginia had to limit service to carry-out, drive-thru and delivery only.
- Dining rooms closed for a time. Restaurants that had carry-out, drive-thru or delivery could keep those services open.
- All casinos in West Virginia had to close.
Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Nitro closed at 6 a.m. on March 18, 2020, “until further notice.” The casino canceled all events and promotions. The state sent people with questions to its toll-free COVID-19 hotline, 1-800-877-4304, and to coronavirus.wv.gov.
Two days later, health officials confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Kanawha County. See Health Department Identifies Case of COVID-19 in Kanawha County. For the state guidance to doctors earlier that month, see Health Update #165. In April 2020, the county added its own limits on businesses. See Health department issues restrictions under new Executive Order.
This information is from March 2020. It is kept here as a record. These closures ended long ago and are not current rules.