There are now nearly 3,200 coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Kentucky.
Gov. Andy Beshear said at his briefing on Tuesday that there were 177 new cases of the virus in Kentucky, increasing the number of cases to 3,192. The governor reported 17 new deaths, raising the state’s death toll to 171 (5.4 percent).
The 17 newly reported deaths are blamed on the pandemic and include an 81-year-old man from Butler County; two women, ages 90 and 94, and a 92-year-old man from Graves County; a 58-year-old woman from Grant County; three men, ages 80, 85 and 90, and two women, ages 80 and 81, from Hopkins County (which has at least 157 cases and 17 deaths, a 10.8 percent fatality rate); a 52-year-old man from Jackson County; two men, ages 71 and 81, and an 81-year-old woman from Jefferson County; a 73-year-old man and a 93-year-old woman from Kenton County; and an 86-year-old woman from Lyon County.
“Seventeen is a hard number to take,” Beshear said. “These are 17 individuals to be missed; 17 families that will be grieving; 17 communities that will be grieving. They are more than just their ages, genders and home counties. Let’s make sure we are doing everything we can to not have days like today.”
At least 1,076 (33.7 percent) people have been hospitalized with the virus; currently 286 currently victims are being treated in a hospital. At least 558 (17.5 percent) victims have been admitted to the ICU and at least 165 people are currently being treated in intensive care.
At least 1,266 (40 percent) people have recovered from COVID-19 in Kentucky, and 33,328 tests have been administered.
Healthy at Work
Beshear announced the launch of Healthy at Work, a new initiative to help Kentucky businesses reopen safely.
The governor has urged all Kentuckians to remain Healthy at Home, following federal and state guidelines on social distancing and limiting contacts. However, Kentucky families and businesses also must prepare for the day when we begin to reopen our economy, Beshear said.
“We want to make sure that when we hit that mark, knowing that we may only know five days in that we’re ready and that when it is safe to do something, we can immediately start doing it.”
But he warned against opening up too soon.
“When we look at the long-term reopening of the economy, we do it by not being foolish or making risky decisions,” Beshear said. “It’s how we come out of this strong.”
Healthy at Work offers a phased approach to reopening Kentucky’s economy. It is based on criteria set by public health experts and advice from industry experts.
“This is going to be a dialogue with your business, your trade associations, employee groups,” said La Tasha Buckner, the governor’s chief of staff and general counsel. “We’re all going to be working on this. We want to make sure we’re doing this the best way and not the quickest way.”
Phase 1 is a state-readiness evaluation, while Phase 2 is an individual business-readiness evaluation. “This approach will ensure the commonwealth’s citizens can safely return to work,” Beshear said, “while still protecting the most vulnerable Kentuckians.”
During Phase 1 of Healthy at Work, the Kentucky Department for Public Health will determine whether Kentucky has met certain public health benchmarks for reopening Kentucky’s economy. These benchmarks closely follow the White House’s Guidelines for Reopening America.
During Phase 2 of Healthy at Work, the Department for Public Health will evaluate individual businesses’ ability to safely reopen.
“Our new normal is not going to be the old normal,” Beshear warned. “Every plan has to be really different from what regular operations looked like before.”
Among other things, each business proposal is required to explain its ability to provide personal protective equipment to employees, adequate access to hand sanitizer and disinfectant, and minimal direct contact between employees and the public.
“Doing this right is about safety. That’s our number one concern,” the governor said. “It’s also the right thing for the economy. Avoiding a second spike will restore our economy faster.”
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
