Will Lexington try to reopen before the rest of Kentucky? No. Here’s why.
Lexington won’t be pursuing permission from state authorities to reopen earlier than the rest of Kentucky, Mayor Linda Gorton said Tuesday.
Gorton told the Lexington council that Gov. Andy Beshear has said he wants all of Kentucky to begin to reopen and ease coronavirus-related restrictions at the same time.
Gorton, who speaks to Beshear three times a week, said she asked Beshear last week if individual counties could reopen and ease some restrictions earlier than others.
“His response was that it is very difficult to close county lines,” Gorton told the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council during a Tuesday work session. “His thinking is that we will have to do this as a state.“
Fayette County’s new coronavirus infections have been in the single digits for more than two weeks, she said.
Gorton said she will continue to advocate for allowing some leeway for counties that have seen drops in new infections and deaths for more than 14 days.
Even though Fayette County’s new coronavirus infections have slowed to a trickle, health experts cautioned previously that it is still too soon to say whether Fayette County’s downward trend will hold.
“We are not there yet,” Gorton said.
Mayors of Prestonsburg and Somerset sent letters to Beshear this week, asking for permission to reopen slowly.
“I think some counties are trying to open up because they are just tired of being closed,” Gorton said. “That’s not a good reason. I know this is hard. Our people have done a wonderful job here in Fayette County. If we can hold on just a tiny bit longer, we will get there.”
Tyler Scott, Gorton’s chief of staff, told the council that a lot needs to happen before restrictions can be lifted. First, without widespread testing, the city can’t adequately track the spread of the coronavirus. More testing is a must, he said.
“We are not testing enough,” Scott said. “No one is testing enough.”
Second, the city and state have to hire more health department staff to do contact tracing. That will help track and contain new infections. Furthermore, businesses that want to reopen have to show that they can limit in-person contact and be able to protect employees with the appropriate personal protection equipment, which is still in high demand but short supply.
Gorton told the council Tuesday she and her senior staff are working on an economic recovery plan that is still in draft form. Council members will be tapped to serve on various committees that will be part of that reopening plan, she said.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Will Lexington try to reopen before the rest of Kentucky? No. Here’s why.."
