‘This is not a game.’ Eastern KY officials admonish those who won’t social distance

The judge-executive of Eastern Kentucky’s largest county sharply criticized residents during a news conference Wednesday when he announced that Pike County has its first confirmed case of COVID-19, saying many residents have refused to abide by social distancing guidelines that will be critical in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Despite Eastern Kentucky’s high population of at-risk residents, many have continued to gather in large groups and complain about orders issued by local officials and Gov. Andy Beshear to slow the spread of the deadly virus, Pike County Judge-Executive Ray Jones said.

“We have people in this community that simply refuse to recognize the severity of this condition,” he said.

Pike County confirmed Wednesday that its first COVID-19 case is a 28-year-old male who works at Pikeville Medical Center and was exposed to the virus at another health care facility.

The patient has quarantined himself at home and is in good condition, according to a news release from the hospital.

Along with an existing order to close all parks and playgrounds in the county, Jones and Pikeville Mayor Jimmy Carter issued a joint order Wednesday that will direct all stores to allow only one customer into the store per shopping cart.

Carter said officials from the Pike County Health Department will observe whether stores comply with the new rule, set to go in place Thursday at 9 p.m. Some exceptions may be made for individuals, such as single moms with infants, who are not able to access child care.

Jones issued a stern warning to stores who do not comply: “We will act to shut that business down, and the health department has the authority to police that.”

Last week, Jones issued an order to shut down county parks, sparking some backlash from residents who felt this restriction was unfair or even unconstitutional.

He said the order was completely within the county’s power and necessary to limit the spread of a virus that could be especially dangerous in Eastern Kentucky, where higher numbers of the population have conditions that would make the disease more dangerous.

‘This disease could be horrific’

“This is not a game. It’s not tiptoeing around the constitution. It’s putting reasonable restrictions in place to save lives,” Jones said. “This disease could be horrific in Pike County with the population we have.”

Dr. Fadi Al Akhrass, the chief of staff at Pikeville Medical Center’s infectious disease department, said high rates of smoking, obesity, diabetes and respiratory problems in Eastern Kentucky put many residents in danger of severe cases of COVID-19.

He also reminded residents that younger patients are also facing severe, and sometimes even fatal, symptoms from the virus.

“We have tons of patients with heart disease, diabetes, obesity, lung disease, and this is very alarming for us. What applies to other areas when it comes to fatalities doesn’t apply here,” Al Akhrass said. “I believe if it comes here we’re gonna have much more mortality because of the vulnerability of our patients.”

Wednesday’s Pike County news conferences come one day after the largest spike of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kentucky — 114 new cases and seven deaths were reported Tuesday alone.

Rural hospitals struggling

Experts have warned that many rural hospitals are not prepared, financially or operationally, for a major outbreak of severe cases.

Two Eastern Kentucky health care providers, Appalachian Regional Healthcare and St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead, announced last week they would furlough a combined 800 workers.

Officials from Pikeville Medical Center and ARH said during Wednesday’s press conference that they have prepared for the virus, and have implemented stringent protocols to keep hospital facilities safe.

Al Akhrass said PMC had conducted 45 tests for COVID-19. Two have been positive, and twelve are pending. The remainder of tests came back negative.

PMC has about 60 ICU beds and 40 negative pressure rooms. An official with ARH was not able to say Wednesday how many ICU beds or negative pressure rooms it has across all of its hospitals, but that the hospitals do have official counts of their inventory.

Jones urged residents to strictly comply with social distancing guidelines to avoid bringing those local hospitals to capacity.

Pike County Public Health Director Tammy Riley said some residents who refused to social distance were under the misconception that the coronavirus would not have as big an impact in Eastern Kentucky as it has in more urban areas.

Riley said she hopes the county’s first confirmed case will serve as a wake-up call to those individuals, and implored residents to not come in close contact with anyone who does not live under the same roof.

While many residents are used to regularly visiting family and friends, “this is not the time,” she said.

“Here in Eastern Kentucky we’re very close, and family is family, but this is not the time to go over to grandma’s house or visit with your cousin or your best friend,” Riley said. “Think about this: If my health department ... called you today and said, ‘You are a COVID-19 positive patient, we need to now know where you have been in the last 14 days, who were you in contact with?’ Would you be proud of your answer or ashamed of your answer?”