Gov. Andy Beshear is extending his statewide mask mandate for another 30 days. He said he believes the facial coverings are having a positive impact on coronavirus numbers and Kentucky has fewer cases this week through Thursday than it did last week.
“For the near future, we’re going to have to do this. We’re going to do it 30 days at a time but, please, don’t require it to be mandatory just to do it. Do it because it’s the right thing,” he said Thursday.
Beshear announced the Kentucky State Fair Board is limiting this year’s state fair to participants only. He said the fair board determined this was a necessary step to prevent a surge in coronavirus cases. He said fair officials will be able to more effectively enforce social distancing and facial covering requirements. The state fair will be Aug. 20-30 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville.
Beshear reported 516 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday. He said Monday through Thursday of this week has had 247 less cases than compared to last week.
“At least in overall numbers we appear to not just be slowing but, we hope, stopping any escalation that we have seen,” he said.
Kentucky has a state total of 33,254 cases. Beshear said 674,490 total tests have been administered to date. He said up to 701 patients are currently hospitalized with 140 in the ICU. Thursday’s positivity rate is 5.21%. Beshear also confirmed eight new deaths due to the virus. He said 12 kids under five have tested positive for the virus.
Beshear said 24 additional residents and 54 additional staff have tested positive in long term care facilities. Five additional facilities have at least one case of coronavirus.
Three new child care facilities reported at least one positive. Beshear said four new staff and two new children tested positive.
Executive Cabinet Secretary Michael Brown said there are currently 49 active employee cases and 284 active inmate cases in Kentucky’s prison system.
Chief of Staff La Tasha Buckner said the administration has renewed its pharmaceutical executive order, allowing Kentucky pharmacists to dispense emergency refills for up to 30 days on medicine that is not a controlled substance. Another renewed executive order prohibits price gouging.
Buckner said the Transportation Cabinet has put two orders in place. The first order grants driver licenses that expire between the dates of March 16 and July 6 a 90-day extension from the date it was set to expire. The second order allows standard operators license, permits and IDs up for renewal between March 1 and September 30 to be renewed by mail or by drop-box at the individual’s local Circuit Court Clerk’s office.
Beshear said new guidance and a new order for bars and restaurants will be out on Monday. He said restaurants should continue to prioritize outdoor seating. He said people should expect capacities to increase back to 50% but “there will be some changes.” Beshear said bars will also need to have an enforced seat rule, in which people should expect to stay in their seats unless going to the bathroom.
