Kentucky breaks daily record for new COVID-19 cases by more than 1,000
Gov. Andy Beshear announced a record 5,742 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 34 additional deaths from the coronavirus.
Wednesday’s new case total is a head and shoulders above the state’s previous single-day record of 4,324 on Dec. 10. The all-time high comes a day after Beshear noted that the state’s day-to-day number of new cases were fluctuating, and his office was trying to figure out why. Tuesday’s new case tally, for instance, was 1,781 compared with Monday’s 2,319.
“Today’s numbers show how critically important a centralized effort and response is to defeating this virus,” Beshear said. The state has reported a total of 286,541 cases of the virus and 2,806 deaths.
The rate of Kentuckians testing positive continues to climb, topping out on Wednesday at 11.66 percent — the highest rate since May 5. There are 1,778 people hospitalized with COVID-19 (18 more than on Tuesday). Of those, patients, 428 are in intensive care (two fewer), and 244 on ventilators (29 more).
Beshear’s office provided a written update on Wednesday shortly before the governor had been scheduled to give his State of the Commonwealth address, which Beshear postponed after rioters forcefully entered the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon falsely claiming President Donald Trump won the election and attempting to stop Congress from counting electoral votes.
Beshear, along with other members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation, sharply condemned the mob, calling them “domestic terrorists.”
“When you try to use force, intimidating, to get what you want, to overthrow an election, to stop the business of Congress, yes, you are acting as a domestic terrorist,” Beshear said in an earlier video. He will present his budget on Thursday at 7 p.m.
KY Supreme Court postpones jury trials
The state Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday postponing all jury trials until April 1 and ordering grand-jury proceedings to be held remotely as COVID-19 continues to spread.
Under the order, there will only be in-person hearings in emergency and time-sensitive matters, such as domestic violence cases, child support and custody cases, and for some criminal matters.
The order places limits on who can go in judicial facilities. People seeking protective orders, emergency custody orders and involuntary commitments can enter, according to the order.
People who need a driver’s license, a permit, an identification card or a commercial driver’s license can enter the clerk’s office by appointment, as well as people seeking a permit or driving test after scheduling with the Kentucky State Police, the order said.
People who need to pay court costs, fines or restitution should do so through a money order, but can call the local circuit clerk’s office to make arrangements to pay by cash or check.
The order allows eviction cases to continue under the limits imposed by the federal CARES Act, and if the eviction is for non-payment only, tenants and landlords must be informed that funding could be available to help them.
Herald-Leader writer Bill Estep contributed to this story.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 6:27 PM.
