In an exclusive interview with Mountaineer Journal, Fmr. Sen. Robert Karnes (R-11) discussed the COVID-19 outbreak and West Virginia’s response. Karnes stated that the public needs to remain calm, but be willing to help others in need as we continue to experience the health risks to seniors and economic ramifications of businesses being temporarily shut down.
“I was actually shopping at Walmart last night, and it was an interesting experience to see which sections of the shelves have been evacuated entirely, and which things have been untouched,” Karnes stated.
“Aside from that, I think that the number one thing we can keep in mind in West Virginia (and we’re good at this), we don’t need to get too overly worked up about this. We need to remember we’re each others’ neighbor.
We’ve gone through things like Hurricane Sandy here in West Virginia. We’ve gone through the derecho a few years ago, where we had major power outages in this area. And one of the great things about West Virginia that sets us apart from the rest of the country is that we still are a state where neighbors take care of neighbors. We look out for each other, and we help each other. And so going without power for a month, maybe wasn’t the most comfortable thing, whenever that happened with Sandy. And having four feet of snow in Webster County, for example, wasn’t the most comfortable thing as it related to Sandy. But what we knew through the whole thing was that we were going to work with each other. We’re going to take care of each other. And that’s what I encourage people to do.
Sure, we need to take this seriously, but at the same time, be prepared to help out where you can. I think that we’ll do that. That’s what West Virginia is always about. That’s why we love this place.”
Karnes is currently seeking a second term in the West Virginia State Senate’s 11th district.