Lexington mayor calls for public events to be canceled or postponed over coronavirus
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton recommended Thursday that all public events be canceled or postponed to stop the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19.
“We recognize this will be painful for some groups,” Gorton said. But canceling such events is necessary to “protect the lives of our citizens.”
Fayette County Health Commissioner Kraig Humbaugh said the recommendation to ban large public gatherings will be in effect indefinitely as the city and state try to clamp down on the spread of the respiratory illness. Ten people in Kentucky have tested positive as of 6 p.m. Thursday night.
“Several events have already been canceled around town,” Gorton said. “The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has canceled the boys’ and girls’ Sweet 16 tournaments. The University of Kentucky and Transylvania University have switched to online instruction and people are avoiding large public gatherings.”
Keeneland announced shortly after Gorton’s press conference that the first two weeks of its early April spring meet will be held without spectators.
Lexington Public Library also announced that all of its public events and group activities have been canceled. All libraries will remain open for now. Anyone who has been exposed to the virus or has exhibited symptoms of the illness should remain at home, library officials said.
KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said the organization ultimately decided to cancel the girls’ and boys’ state championship tournaments after talking with health officials such as Humbaugh. The information on best practices changes almost hourly, he said.
“We literally went from just small crowds to canceling the tournament within an hour,” Tackett said.
Tackett said they knew of other large events that were pointing to the KHSAA tournament as a reason to move forward with their own events. That didn’t sit well with the organization.
Tackett later said the annual tournament is a financial boon for the city of Lexington and for the KHSAA.
But people’s health and stopping the spread of COVID-19 is more important, he said.
Earlier this week, Gorton announced that all senior centers will close Friday and all senior programming will be suspended over concerns about the novel coronavirus. Medical experts have said that people over the age of 60 and those with chronic kidney, heart and lung conditions are especially at risk for coronavirus complications.
As of Thursday, there have been three confirmed Fayette County coronavirus cases. One is a 49-year-old man. The other Fayette County patient is a 46-year-old man, state health officials have said. Information on the third positive case has not yet been released.
Gorton and Humbaugh also asked for the public’s help with specific needs.
God’s Pantry, which serves central and eastern Kentucky, is also in need of more donations, including cleaning supplies, Gorton said.
Area blood banks are also running low and need donors, Humbaugh said.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 3:18 PM.
