87 new KY coronavirus cases and 5 more deaths. Total is 4,146. Reopening dates given.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday there were 87 more cases of the novel coronavirus across Kentucky, one of the “lowest” single-day increases the state has seen in a few weeks.
Many of the labs that process test results are closed on the weekends, meaning Monday’s numbers are sometimes artificially low, the governor said. But one thing is for certain: “we are not peaking, [and] that’s a very good thing.”
“Unless we have a really large jump over the next couple of days,” Beshear said, “I think we have certainly plateaued, and my hope is that, very soon, we will be headed into our decline.”
If Kentucky’s COVID-19 cases begin declining, Beshear said he is prepared to begin slowly reopening additional segments of the economy on May 11th, 18th, 25th and June 1. He said Kentuckians should begin wearing cloth masks whenever they go out in public before May 11.
There are now at least 4,146 cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky. Five more people have died from coronavirus complications, Beshear said, from Fayette, Hopkins and Jefferson counties.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said there were 27 new cases in Jefferson County on Monday. Five new cases were counted in Graves County, four in Warren County, and one in Fayette County, which also reported its ninth death earlier in the day — a 73-year-old man.
A total of 48,799 people in the state have been tested for the virus, 313 are currently hospitalized, 165 are in intensive care units, and 1,521 have recovered.
Health care to ramp up over next 3 weeks
Some health care providers returned to work on Monday, including physical therapists, dentists and chiropractors. Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack outlined the phased reopening for other medical services, scheduled for May 6th, May 13th and May 27th.
Outpatient surgery and some invasive procedures will start again on May 6, and some inpatient surgeries will resume at a lower volume on May 13, and even more will be allowed on May 27. But each health care facility at all phases will need at least a 14-day supply of personal protective equipment. If a health care office can’t find enough PPE, it won’t be allowed to reopen, Stack said.
“We’re not trying to disadvantage anyone,” Stack said. But, “if you don’t have the materials ... then you can’t open up.”
Acute care hospitals will also be required to reserve 30 percent of their beds for future COVID-19 patients.
As this incremental reopening takes place over the next few weeks, Stack pleaded with people to remain vigilant in their social distancing; just because parts of the economy are reopening doesn’t mean that the general population is actually safe, he said.
“I urge you, I urge you to not become complacent,” Stack said. “Just because the disease right now seems to be at a plateau, it is not a time to feel that you are safe. It is not time to feel that this is not still a serious threat.”
“This is exactly the time when we are at risk for the greatest harm, if people start to get lax about complying with the things we ask you to do,” he said.
Remaining March unemployment claims to be processed this week
In March, 282,000 Kentuckians filed claims, and 183,000 have been paid out so far. Later Monday night, another 70,000 claims from Kentuckians who applied last month and who “rightfully have been waiting and have been impatient, and you should be,” are being processed and will be paid out soon, Beshear said.
That will leave roughly 30,000 claims from last month that need to be processed, and “our goal is to get through those last March claims this week,” Beshear said.
Another 150,000 unemployment insurance claims — totaling $174 million — were being processed Sunday night and should be in those applicants’ bank accounts today, he said.
Visit Kentucky’s coronavirus website, kycovid19.ky.gov, for more guidance about the disease and testing options.
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 6:00 PM.
