Gov. Andy Beshear said he plans to extend an executive order requiring most Kentuckians to wear face coverings when in public. He made the announcement at a media briefing Tuesday in Frankfort. The 30-day order was originally set to expire Aug. 10.
The mask mandate is part of recent Beshear administration efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Other actions taken include the closure of bars, limiting mass gatherings to ten and reducing restaurant capacity to 25%. Beshear said at least 17% of known coronavirus clusters in the state are the result of outbreaks from bars. Beshear called on residents to buy into the social distancing and prevention measures needed to prevent Kentucky from reaching the positivity rates of states including Arizona and Florida.
“What’s in charge here is the virus and we’re having to respond to it,” Beshear said.
Beshear reported 532 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 28,128. The new cases include 21 children under age 5, with the youngest being 2 months old. Beshear said the state’s positivity rate dropped slightly to 5.08%. He said the state could be entering a new plateau, and the coming days will show the effectiveness of the administration’s recent actions.
Western Kentucky counties with double-digit case increases include Graves (14) and Christian (11). Find a full list of counties reporting positive tests here.
Ten Kentuckians died as a result of the coronavirus Tuesday, raising the statewide death toll to 719. The deaths included three Logan County residents and a 37-year-old inmate at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville.
Beshear responded Tuesday to a new coronavirus relief package championed by congressional Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Beshear encouraged lawmakers to restore the $600 weekly unemployment benefit previously codified in the CARES Act, and to provide stabilization funds for state and local governments.
“If it is scaled back from where it is right now, people are not going to get by,” Beshear said of the unemployment benefit.
Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack called on Kentuckians to reject misinformation being spread concerning the virus.
“People when they are desperate or unwilling to listen to science, facts and evidence do things…that are foolish,” Stack explained. “I continue to urge everyone in the public, please find people who have dedicated their lives and their professional lives to studying and learning about these things that are important, and listen to credible sources.”
Other developments in Frankfort include a legislative hearing featuring Secretary of State Michael Adams, where he cautioned against universal mail-in voting for the November general election. Beshear said the June primary was a success and encouraged Adams to allow “no-excuse” absentee voting in the general election.
“I believe that with the virus more dangerous now than it was in the primary election, that we ought to have no-excuse absentee voting, we ought to have early voting, we ought to have multiple locations on election day,” Beshear said.
