‘Not good news.’ 426 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and 8 more deaths.
For the second time this week, Gov. Andy Beshear announced more than 400 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the state’s total to 18,670 as cases have continued to increase. Beshear also announced 8 new deaths, bringing the state’s total to 620.
“This is really alarming,” Beshear said, referencing increased cases in other states. “That’s why we’re acting early, that’s why we’re acting fast... More people are testing positive and it’s not just because of more tests.”
The 426 new coronavirus cases announced Friday is the second-highest ever reported in Kentucky. The most reported in a day was on May 5, when more than 300 of the 625 cases came from an outbreak at the Green River Correctional Complex.
A mandatory requirement for people to wear masks while in public went into effect at 5 p.m. Friday. Beshear said the requirement is necessary to prevent an increase in cases like what is being seen in Arizona, Texas and Florida.
“We could be Arizona,” Beshear said. “I’m not going to allow that to happen to us.”
Enforcing the order could prove challenging, but Beshear said the emphasis will be on businesses refusing service to people who do not wear a mask and that it will require health department officers to monitor high-traffic areas where people congregate. Beshear said police officers may also need to ask people to put on a mask.
Beshear said Kentucky’s rate of positive tests, based on a rolling seven day average, has nearly doubled from 2.47 percent two weeks ago to 4.5 percent Friday. The increase is “not good news,” he said.
Since Sunday, there have been 2,043 announced cases of COVID-19, the highest number of cases in a single week since April. The number of announced tests is similar to previous weeks.
He also said there were several new cases of COVID-19 among children younger than five Friday, including a handfull who are less than a year old.
“I have kids, they’re older than this now, but they would get a fever and my heart would stop beating,” Beshear said. “So whatever reason you have for wearing a mask, that’s a pretty good one.”
Beshear did not release the number of people who are currently hospitalized or in an intensive care unit, saying the state is working on reforming how those numbers are reported. He said Thursday that there was still plenty of ICU capacity.
Even amid the increase in cases, some have pushed back against existing state-imposed restrictions. A Boone County Circuit Judge last week ruled against Beshear’s executive order restricting the number of children in daycares, lifting the limit from 10 children to 28.
Eric Friedlander, the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said Friday there have been 22 cases of COVID-19 stemming from 13 childcare centers — 15 staff members and 7 children. While cases among children have proven less severe, health officials express concern that if the disease spreads among a group of children it can quickly spread to adults, including those who are more vulnerable to the disease.
“We want to be careful about how we reopen because we need to protect our children and families,” Friedlander said.
The disease has proven especially deadly in nursing homes. On Friday, Beshear said there have been 2,092 nursing home residents who have tested positive for the disease, an increase of 20 cases from Thursday. At least 1,053 staff members have tested positive.
Government officials have stressed the need for people to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus, expressing concern over the economic effects of having to shut down the economy for a second time.
Hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians filed unemployment claims when the state shut down the economy in March. Some of those people are still struggling to receive their unemployment benefits.
Beshear said around 50 percent of people who are being called from the state’s unemployment office have not been picking up the phone. After hundreds of people descended on Frankfort seeking some form of in-person help to resolve issues holding up their unemployment benefits, Beshear signed a contract with Ernst and Young to add 300 people to help deal with unemployment claims.
“We’ve got a lot of people out there calling especially our March and April folks that have not gotten the help that they need,” Beshear said.
Beshear said if people see a call from the number 502-333-9130, they should pick up the phone because it is the unemployment office. The state will have workers in Covington, Prestonsburg and Frankfort next week where people can make appointments to get in-person assistance.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 4:33 PM.
