Gov. Andy Beshear made several pleas Sunday: Sign up for coronavirus testing; if you sign up, don’t fail to show up; if you disagree with his policies, do it safely, unlike some protesters Saturday; wear a mask in public; and take some time off and tune out news about the pandemic.
Returning to the briefing podium after his first day off in eight weeks, Beshear said Kentucky had no reported deaths for the first day in many weeks, but said that was probably because of delayed reporting on the weekend.
“I already know of at least one that will be reported tomorrow,” he said.
Beshear said five deaths were reported Saturday, along with 173 new confirmed infections of the virus, for a death toll of 253 and case total of 5,130. He said the rates are “very stable” even though the state is doing more testing, much of it at potential hotspots such as prisons and nursing homes.
His first plea was for Kentuckians to fill open slots next week at Kroger-sponsored testing sites in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Ashland, a new site where hundreds of slots remain open and there has been relatively little testing.
Beshear also pleaded for people who sign up to show up, saying about 50 per site have not kept their appointments. “To sign up to take that test and not show up, you can’t be doing that,” he said, noting that anyone can spread the virus without knowing they have it.
He said testing will become more important as restrictions are gradually lifted and the virus has more opportunity to spread. He said much testing has targeted vulnerable populations, but “We also have to test the general public because so many people can be asymptomatic,” meaning they have the virus but no symptoms. “You ought to treat yourself like you have it.”
That wasn’t the case with hundreds of people who came to the state Capitol Saturday afternoon to protest Beshear’s anti-virus policies and demand that he allow businesses to reopen. The rally’s master of ceremonies asked those who did wear masks to take them off.
Beshear said he had also heard that other speakers, including state legislators, had made the same request, “told people that social distancing is optional, and one even said she wouldn’t take a vaccine” for the virus if one is developed.
“That’s just reckless,” he said. “It’s O.K. to disagree, but if you are a leader people listen to, be responsible in how you do it. … Whether you agree or disagree with me, I want you to be safe.”
The vaccine comment, by state Rep. Savannah Maddox of Dry Ridge, wasn’t as extreme as Beshear described, according to a reporter who quoted her as saying that she wouldn’t be forced to get a vaccination, and asked Beshear for his reaction. He said, “This is a highly infectious virus, that if it gets to the wrong person, could be devastating,” shook his head and asked for the next question.
Asked if any action would be taken against anyone at the rally, Beshear said, “We’ll see about steps that are gonna be taken.”
Beshear reiterated that he won’t take action against people who refuse to wear masks in public, but pleaded with them to do so. “At the end of the day, it’s your decision, but it’s one that impacts the lives around you,” he said. “Your refusal to wear a mask could result in somebody dying. … If you believe we’re supposed to love our neighbor as yourself, and you may be carrying a virus that could potentially harm people, why would you not be willing to do this?”
Beshear began his briefing by noting he didn’t have one Saturday, and repeated a plea he has made before. “I was trying to live out what I’ve asked everybody else to do, be in a good place with your mental, physical and emotional health” and have resilience, he said.
Acting Health Secretary Eric Friedlander gave an update on long-term-care facilities, which have accounted for 122 of the state’s deaths, or 48 percent. “As I’ve looked across the country, I think we’ve been leaders here,” he said.
He said the state is paying nursing homes more quickly, because their business has been hurt by lack of elective surgeries that send them patients for rehabilitation. “We’re making sure we take care of that industry so that industry can take care of people in their care,” he said.
Friedlander also said the state is paying the homes more to treat patients with COVID-19, as an incentive for the facilities to get the patients tested. Beshear said he would like to have everyone in nursing homes tested, but “We’re gonna have to triage it a little bit. … We want to make sure the most fragile are being tested as early as possible.”
Friedlander’s cabinet is also in charge of inspecting nursing homes, and a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Friday noted that it rarely labeled lack of infection control a serious violation from April 2016 to December 2019, when the Beshear administration began.
Friedlander said the cabinet is now making infection control a priority, but has “fewer eyes” looking for violations because it has limited inspections, for fear inspectors could carry the virus. He said it is a shared responsibility: “This is a time when this industry and us can demonstrate that we’re gonna be faithful stewards for those people in their care.”
On another nursing-home point, Beshear said, “We’ve gotta expect there’s not gonna be visitation in the near future. We’ve got to take every single step to protect those in these facilities.”
Asked if visitation might be allowed for patients who don’t have the virus, or to those who are in critical care, Beshear said that would not happen in long-term-care facilities because of their vulnerable populations. He noted that there are exceptions for those who are at the end of their lives.
Al Cross is professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Kentucky. He was the longest-serving political writer for the Louisville Courier Journal (1989-2004) and national president of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2001-02. He joined the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2010. The NKyTribune is the home for his commentary which is also offered to other publications.
