30,000 tips flood hotline for KY coronavirus scofflaws. 18 companies closed so far.
Tens of thousands of people have called a tip line Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear set up on March 23 to let people turn in employers and neighbors who are violating the state’s orders to close “non-essential” businesses and cancel gatherings of all sizes to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The result: 18 businesses have been cited since the Kentucky Labor Cabinet began issuing closure orders last Wednesday.
Marjorie Arnold, the chief of staff for the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, said there have been 30,000 calls and online reports since the tip line opened. She said the number of actionable reports was “substantial.”
“After receiving the reports, they are reviewed by attorneys who make recommendations regarding possible enforcement, are prioritized and then distributed to enforcement personnel,” Arnold said.
That had resulted in the temporary closure of 18 businesses by the end of business on Monday, Arnold said Wednesday morning. She said the closure orders had been issued in multiple counties across the state, including one in Fayette County.
On Tuesday, she said only four businesses had been closed.
Of those four businesses, two were gyms in Frankfort, one was a greeting card company in Boyle County, and another was a factory in Hart County that has since reopened.
The cabinet did not provide information Wednesday morning about the other 14 businesses that were ordered to close.
The Division of Workplace Standards is in charge of issuing the closure orders. Their decisions are based on “complaints received, information gathered from social media, and surveillance,” Arnold said.
Other state agencies and local entities may also be issuing orders to cease operations, she said.
‘We ought to be better than that’
Beshear was critical of the gyms — Fit4Life and Elite Fitness — during his Sunday news conference, saying they had allowed people to enter through their back doors in order to defy the order.
The coronavirus “is already killing people and with an order out there that you cannot operate, you would open up the back door?” Beshear said. “My goodness, come on, we ought to be better than that and shame on those that are doing that.”
Phone calls to both gyms, which are now closed, went unanswered Tuesday. Beshear announced the citations Sunday, but the Labor Cabinet did not say when exactly they were issued.
In Hart County, Dart Container Corporation was ordered to close because workers weren’t separated by at least six feet, as social distancing guidelines require, according to the company. The company, which typically makes food and drink containers, said it was planning to start manufacturing parts for face shields. The Labor Cabinet did not say when the company was cited, but it was allowed to reopen on April 4.
“Prior to receiving the shutdown order, the Horse Cave plant was preparing to manufacture up to 80,000 critically needed face shield components per day for use by health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients,” the company’s communication team said Tuesday in a written response to the Herald-Leader. “The facility will now resume startup preparations to begin manufacturing the shields for a federal agency.”
An email sent Tuesday to American Greetings in Danville went unanswered. A call went through to a security guard, who said there was no one else working at the factory. The Labor Cabinet did not say how the greeting card company violated the governor’s orders or when the factory was required to close.
Kentuckians have said they called the tip line to report everything from fraternity brothers hanging out by a pool to factories that allegedly aren’t spacing out employees.
One business shut down in Lexington
When the city of Lexington gets calls about businesses that are allegedly violating Beshear’s orders, local officials just forward them to the state tip line, said city spokeswoman Susan Straub.
One Fayette County business was ordered to close, according to Arnold, but was able to resolve the issue and reopen 48 hours later. The state did not name the business.
Lexington Police received 86 calls about large groups gathering between Friday and Sunday, but police have not been breaking them up unless the groups are violating existing city ordinances, such as excessive noise.
Beshear has acknowledged that many of the orders he has issued are difficult to enforce. He has talked about increasing enforcement, but has said the best method to encourage people to social distance is “positive social peer pressure.”
“We’ll never be able to force our way into the type of behavior we need to protect people,” Beshear said. “Instead, we’re going to have to encourage our way there.”
To report an incident, call 1-833-597-2337. Labor Cabinet personnel will monitor the phone line from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET and will respond to messages left after hours. Complaints can also be made at kysafer.ky.gov.
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 11:14 AM.
