90 new Kentucky COVID-19 cases and no deaths. Almost everything reopens by June 29.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 90 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Monday, bringing the statewide total to at least 13,839 one week before “just about everything in the Commonwealth will be open in some capacity,” the governor said.
In a week, on June 29, people in groups as large as 50 will be able to get together, bars and restaurants can open at 50 percent capacity, Kentucky Kingdom and pools can reopen, youth sports can start, and venues and event spaces can reopen, including concert halls, convention centers, wedding venues, stadiums, and spaces large enough to accommodate fairs, festivals and carnivals.
“We have come very far, which is allowing us to do more and more in our economy,” Beshear said. But staying open, he said, “is dependent on whether or not we can adapt.”
Each of these new reopenings is contingent on adherence to the state’s guidelines, which were released on Monday. At bars and restaurants, those guidelines give each establishment the option to choose not to serve patrons who refuse to follow safety standards. These places may “choose not to serve customers who refuse to wear a mask while away from their booth/table in order to protect their employees and other customers,” according to the guidelines.
At restaurants, salad bars and any buffet-style of dining won’t be allowed, and neither will self-service drink stations. Bars and restaurants should limit party sizes to 10 or fewer people, maximize the use of outdoor seating, and set up payment and pick up options that minimize contact between people to the greatest extent possible.
Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack said “masks and face coverings are absolutely essential” for everyone to wear in public when around others. The virus is still a “dangerous disease and in other states we are seeing dramatic surges,” he said.
Stack said he doesn’t think reopening “is inconsistent” with that fact. “I see what we’re doing as important, because society has to reopen,” he said, it just has to be done safely. At the moment, new case numbers remain plateaued, “which enables us to responsibly attempt” to reopen more fully on June 29, Stack said, but remaining open will be contingent on people’s ability to follow safety protocols.
Beshear, though, admitted, “I’m not seeing near the amount of masks I need to” across Kentucky. If people disregard the state’s safety guidelines, “then we’ll certainly see an increase” in cases.
He asked people to set new parameters around their daily activities. “Fifty percent of what you had normally done is what you ought to be doing on any given day. If you [would normally have] gone to lunch and gone to dinner, just do one,” he said. “If we can do that . . . I feel like we will be in the right place to make sure we can continue reopening.”
The governor will outline his plan to reopen schools on Wednesday. “We’re going to be able to go back to in person classes at least part of the week . . . but it’s got to look different,” he said.
On Monday there were 349 people hospitalized with the coronavirus and 67 in intensive care. At least 3,534 have recovered and 352,215 tests have been administered.
Beshear said Kentucky’s overall hospital occupancy is at about 50 percent, “so we have a lot of room there,” and intensive care unit capacity is at roughly 70 percent.
Many congregate living facilities, particularly nursing homes, continue to see new cases of the virus. Beshear said Eastern Kentucky Veterans Center in Hazard has diagnosed its first positive case, and the whole facility will be tested on Tuesday. So far, at least 1,602 residents and 786 staff have tested positive for the virus. At least 328 residents and three staff have so far died.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 4:31 PM.
