By Lacie Pierson, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Now that Gov. Jim Justice has ordered West Virginia’s schools and businesses to resume operating at pre-COVID capacities, lawmakers want the governor to extend that same opportunity for people looking to access the Capitol.
Eighty-two delegates signed a letter written by Delegate Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, on March 5 telling Justice it is “past time” for West Virginians to be able to again access the Capitol.
The Senate hasn’t taken any formal action of its own, but Sens. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, and Mike Caputo, D-Marion, called this week for the governor to lift restrictions on access to the Capitol. In the letter, Worrell quotes the West Virginia Constitution, saying the right of the people to peacefully assemble “to instruct their representatives, or to apply for redress of grievances, shall be held inviolate.”
West Virginians largely have complied with the terms of the governor’s emergency restrictions and mandatory mask and social distancing requirements, and coronavirus cases are declining quickly, Worrell wrote…