54 new Kentucky coronavirus cases found. Total is 302. Three more deaths confirmed.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced three deaths related to the novel coronavirus and said 54 more people tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the second consecutive day of 50 or more new cases.
The three people who died — a 75-year-old woman in Fayette County, a 77-year-old man in Hopkins County and a 73-year-old female in Jefferson County — bring the death toll to eight in Kentucky out of 302 people who have tested positive for the respiratory illness.
Kevin Hall, a spokesman for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, said the person who died in Fayette County was not a Fayette County resident.
Beshear noted surging numbers of cases across the country — New York City has topped 25,000 cases — and asked Kentuckians to “do better” with social distancing because the next two weeks are critical.
“While we are seeing an increased number of cases, we have more time than they do right now to make sure we reduce that curve, that we have fewer cases, that we reduce that contact,” he said.
Beshear announced 19 new cases in Jefferson County, but Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in his daily update that there were 43 new cases in Louisville, bringing the total in the state’s largest city to at least 103 cases. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department said there were 11 new cases in Fayette County, bringing the total there to 53.
Among the cases in Fayette County are a Lexington firefighter and several people associated with the University of Kentucky, including six UK HealthCare workers and two students who live off campus.
The governor and other health officials also announced new cases in Boone, Bullitt, Campbell, Daviess, Hardin, Jessamine, Kenton, Larue, Logan, Oldham, Pulaski, Scott, Simpson, Warren and Woodford counties.
Tracking the number of new cases has been challenging as the number of labs testing for the coronavirus has increased. Beshear’s numbers are often an underestimate of the total number of confirmed cases based on reports by county health departments.
Beshear says stay away from Tennessee
In what amounted to a scolding of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Beshear asked people who live on the southern border of Kentucky to only go to Tennessee for work, groceries or to help people. Tennessee has not put in place the same restrictions as Kentucky and he said if people cross the border to visit restaurants and other public-facing businesses, they risk catching coronavirus.
“If you ultimately go down, over that border, and go to a restaurant or something that’s not open in Kentucky, what you do is you bring back the coronavirus here in Kentucky,” Beshear said. “And again, the sacrifices people inside your county are making, ultimately, you don’t honor by doing that.”
Tennessee now has more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Unemployment woes in Kentucky
The Democratic governor also acknowledged that many people had trouble filing for unemployment benefits in Kentucky on Friday.
Josh Benton,deputy secretary for the cabinet of education and workforce development, said some independent contracts and other workers who are newly-eligible for unemployment benefits may have received messages that said they did not make enough to qualify for unemployment.
“We want you to know that is not stopping your claim from being processed,” Benton said. He said the claims are still being processed and that the individuals are, in-fact, eligible. He said officials are working to correct the problem.
Don’t gather in parks, Beshear says
On Thursday, Beshear asked county judges and mayors to close parks and basketball courts across the state if they see people congregating in those places. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton obliged the request and shut down McConnell Springs, Raven Run, golf courses, sports fields and basketball courts in public parks.
It is expected to be a sunny and warm weekend, but Beshear encouraged people not to gather in public parks.
“We cannot use [the good weather] as an excuse to undo all the good things we’re doing,” Beshear said.
Coronavirus impacting Kentucky homeless
Eric Friedlander, the interim secretary of the cabinet for Health and Family Services, said the state has been in touch with major homeless organizations in Lexington and Louisville, which are struggling to serve homeless individuals without personal protection equipment.
“We’re going to have to be creative,” Friedlander said. “There is not enough PPE to go around. We don’t have enough for our health care workers, we don’t have enough for the social workers at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, we don’t have enough at this point.”
The press conference ended with a video from UK basketball coach John Calipari, who encouraged everyone to wash their hands, practice social distancing and donate money if possible.
Donations to help people who have been economically affected by the virus can be made to the Team Kentucky fund. Tax-free donations can be made at https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/PPC/KYCOVID-19Donate.
Kentucky residents can call the state coronavirus hotline — 1-800-722-5725 — for advice about when to seek medical treatment. People with symptoms of coronavirus — cough, fever and difficulty breathing — should call their health care provider directly.
Kentuckians can call 1-833-KYSAFER to report people and businesses not following social distancing guidelines issued by federal and state officials. Visit Kentucky’s coronavirus website, kycovid19.ky.gov, for more guidance about the disease.
Herald-Leader reporter Alex Acquisto contributed to this article.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 5:42 PM.
