CHARLESTON â Donât be surprised to see more paper temporary tags than usual on cars navigating West Virginiaâs roads.
Production is down as the prison system has scaled back operations because of confirmed COVID-19 cases and inmates being quarantined, according to state officials. West Virginia Correctional Industries at Mount Olive Correctional Complex cranked out 469,373 license plates in 2020, said Lawrence Messina of the state Department of Homeland Security. The usual output is about 500,000 plates crafted by the plantâs 17-inmate crew. Those plates are then ordered months in advance by the state and stored in a warehouse for distribution.
âThere have been some distribution delays to motorists, especially for specialty plates,â said Natalie Holcomb, spokeswoman for the state Division of Motor Vehicles.