Lexington has 184 new COVID-19 cases. Here’s how the city will enforce new restrictions
Lexington reported 184 new COVID-19 cases and one new death Thursday morning.
The new cases brought the city’s total case count since March to 14,551. There have been 106 deaths and 814 hospitalizations from the virus, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
Lexington’s COVID-19 surge has led to more cases in November than in any other month. More than one-fifth of the city’s total 2020 cases have occurred this month. Lexington is also on pace to set a new one-month record for hospitalizations. The only COVID-19 statistic that has been down this month is deaths, but there has been one in each of the last two days.
The case spike has overwhelmed contact tracers and caused the state to open up a surge testing site at Keeneland.
The COVID-19 surge has occurred nearly statewide, with most Kentucky counties in the state’s “red zone,” meaning there was critical spread within the community. The large increases in infections caused Gov. Andy Beshear to issue new executive orders that restrict businesses and public and private gatherings.
How Lexington will enforce new restrictions
Lexington’s health department has been responding to complaints about businesses violating rules throughout the pandemic. Some businesses have been fined after repeated violations for not requiring masks.
Under the new rules, outdoor dining is still permitted, as long as previous mandates — including requirements to wear masks and keep tables at least 6 feet apart — are followed. Restaurants and bars violating any of the mandates will be issued a notice to correct, Lexington health department spokesman Kevin Hall said.
Continued violations will result in an order for the business to close all in-person service, Hall said.
The health department will speak with its attorneys and seek “legal recourse” if a business refuses to comply with the closing order, Hall said. No businesses refused to close back in March, so the health department hasn’t had to take that step, Hall said.
Jeff Ruby, the owner of several high-end restaurants around Kentucky, including a steakhouse in Lexington, quickly took to Twitter to condemn the new mandates.
“After indicating you wouldn’t shut down our industry, you did just that,” Ruby said in a tweet directed at Beshear. “Inexplicably, you allowed ‘retail’ to remain open.”
Beshear has previously said that research indicates restaurants and bars pose a more significant risk of COVID-19 transmission than other businesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published a study underscoring that risk.
“Certain businesses are designed more for social gatherings, which creates environments with face-to-face interactions where people are too close together and/or not wearing masks,” Hall said.
Businesses permitted to operate with capacity restrictions will face the same potential penalties as they currently face. If a business is found to violate a mandate, they’ll receive a notice to correct. Further violations will result in citations and fines.
The health department also encouraged Lexington residents to follow Beshear’s mandate requiring private gatherings to have eight or fewer people. Beshear acknowledged Wednesday that it would be difficult to enforce.
Lexington police have responded to loud party complaints, but there’s nothing officers can do to bust up oversized parties if laws aren’t being broken, spokeswoman Brenna Angel said.
Lexington mayor: We can overcome COVID-19
Immediately after Beshear announced the new restrictions Wednesday, Mayor Linda Gorton took to social media and asked Lexington residents to do their part.
“We can overcome this surge of COVID-19 cases in our community,” Gorton said. “Let’s all do our part to be safe and healthy by following the rules, wearing a mask, washing our hands and maintaining social distance.”
Rep. Andy Barr, the Republican congressman from Lexington, struck a different tone.
“Governor Beshear’s sweeping new COVID-19 restrictions announced today will have a devastating and irreversible impact on Kentucky small businesses and their employees,” he said in a tweet during Beshear’s press conference. He further called Beshear’s $40 million relief fund an “empty gesture.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 9:19 AM.