CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey issued the following statement in light of Monday’s remarks by Governor Jim Justice.
“No one is having a dispute about whether we should wear masks and take all precautions possible to stop this deadly virus. I encourage our citizens to take such precautions. Anyone suggesting otherwise is not being honest with you. As I said on Nov. 18, we should all ‘socially distance, wear coverings, keep good hygiene, minimize personal contact, and stay away from immunocompromised individuals, who may be particularly susceptible to the virus.’
“We need to both protect the public health and our constitutional rights. I believe in West Virginians and have faith that our citizens don’t need threats of jail time to convince them to do the right thing and pull together to tackle this virus. Heavy-handed threats of criminal penalties are not the way forward, especially through an executive order that the Legislature has not approved.”