Here are updates on the coronavirus outbreak in Kentucky for Saturday, March 14:
- Gov. Andy Beshear said child-care centers are being asked to create plans that would allow them to close on 72 hours’ notice. “While children remain at low risk, they can carry the virus and we must do everything we can to reduce its spread and protect our most vulnerable, including our senior citizens,” he said. Earlier in the week, the day after he announced that schools had been asked to make such plans, he asked schools to close, and they did. Suggesting urgency today, he said “I don’t want to be the governor that waits two weeks too long.”
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state rose to 18. A newly identified victim in Nelson County, a 53-year-old man, is confined to his home under armed guard because he left a medical facility and refused to self-isolate after testing positive, Beshear said.
- One of the 18 is “in really bad shape,” Beshear said. “There is even an expectation that that individual might not make it,” due to other medical factors. He declined to give the patient’s county, age or even age range, citing privacy concerns.
- The governor urged citizens to stop runs on essential items at stores, saying he had heard of a young mother who had been unable to find formula for her baby. “If we are all good neighbors to each other, we will get through this,” he said.
- The state has asked hospitals to stop elective surgeries by close of business Wednesday, March 18. “We need all the capacity that we can to deal with the cases that we’re going to see,” Beshear said.
- The state COVID-19 hotline (800-722-5725) is getting 2,000 calls a day, and its operator, Norton Healthcare, is hiring more people to make it more responsive, Health Commissioner Steven Stack said.
- Beshear said that after some difficulty with the federal government, he is sending National Guard medical units to bring home 16 Kentuckians who were on the Grand Princess cruise ship and are quarantined at Air Force bases. One of the 16 told the Courier Journal that she still hasn’t been tested for the disease.
- The governor said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a waiver allowing schools to keep serving meals to students while schools are otherwise closed.
- He said the state is trying to have half as many employees as usual working in state offices, by moving transactions with the public online or to the telephone.
- Asked whether Kentuckians should go to restaurants, Beshear said, “Order takeout. . . . We want to support that restaurant industry.” At the same time, “They ought to make some pretty significant changes on density,” to practice social distancing needed to prevent transmission of the virus.
- Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron warned of potential scams, such as fake websites, social-media posts and email solicitations trying to sell products or gather personal information. “Watch out for products that claim to cure coronavirus or guarantee coronavirus prevention,” they said. “Be wary of emails from con artists pretending to be the Centers for Disease Control or other public health organizations. A legitimate medical provider would never ask for sensitive information through email.”
- Despite Beshear’s call for churches to cancel services, “Most congregations in Hopkinsville will have their regular services” tomorrow, reports Jennifer P. Brown of the Hoptown Chronicle. However, some “are changing long-standing practices, including how and when communion is served.”
- Legislation negotiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and essentially endorsed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, would provide two weeks’ sick leave at no less than two-thirds of normal pay, to encourage people who may have the virus to stay home from work. It would also expand family and medical leave and boost unemployment benefits.
- The bill would have the federal government pay 80 percent of traditional Medicaid costs in Kentucky, up from 72 percent. The Courier Journal reports, “The state would gain about $620 million in additional federal money this year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. Dustin Pugel of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy “said that would free up state money for other needs, especially if the pandemic triggers an economic slowdown.”
