Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that child care centers across the state must close by the end of Friday in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Beshear said that there would be some exceptions for centers that serve the children of health care workers working to battle the epidemic.
“I know it’s going to be hard, but it is all necessary, and I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t believe I had to do it,” Beshear said.
On Monday evening Beshear announced Kentucky’s 22nd confirmed case of the coronavirus, which has been documented in seven counties across the state — Jefferson, Fayette, Harrison, Nelson, Clark, Bourbon and Montgomery Counties.
The new case is a 34-year-old woman from Jefferson County. So far, only one confirmed coronavirus patient in Kentucky has fully recovered from the disease, a 27-year-old woman from Harrison County.
Earlier in the day, Beshear announced that all restaurants and bars in the state would have to close to in-person traffic, restricting business to only carry-out, delivery and drive-through services.
Beshear also announced that all in-person services from state government would cease by the end of Tuesday.
“We have to model the type of behavior that we want to see from other people,” Beshear said.
The governor also announced that three-month extensions will be given to those whose drivers licenses are about to expire.
To try and alleviate the economic impact of the outbreak, Beshear said the state would waive the waiting period for people to receive unemployment benefits. He said that he has applied for a disaster loan through the federal Small Business Administration.
On Monday morning, Beshear announced the first confirmed death of a Kentuckian with coronavirus Monday morning — a 66-year-old from Bourbon County who also had other health conditions.
(This story first ran on Kentucky Public Radio.)
