Kentucky is now one of seven states working to develop a plan to reopen economies without creating a major jump in coronavirus cases. Governor Beshear has said previously he was talking with governors in Indiana and Ohio. Now the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota are also involved.
During his nightly briefing, Beshear said by the end of May he hopes there are, quote, “some things that Kentuckians can be doing again.” But the governor stressed it would be a gradual phased-in plan. “There’s no old normal. There’s only new normal until we have a vaccine and there’s going to be some risk in doing it. We’re going to do the best we can in balancing that risk with also steps we got to make to ensure that we can begin to open up the economy,” said Beshear.
Beshear indicated some lessening of restrictions could come as soon as the first of May for certain healthcare businesses, provided there is sufficient personal protective equipment. The governor said there are cases of people with non-COVID ailments showing up in the emergency room sicker after opting not to go to their primary doctor.
Governor Beshear said drive through testing will increase substantially in the coming week. Currently, tests for healthcare workers, first responders, and those exhibiting symptoms are being done in Frankfort and Kenton County. Starting next week, Beshear said similar sites through a partnership with Kroger will be set up in Madisonville, Paducah, Somerset, and Pikeville. “We have to have more testing in Kentucky, both right now as we are dealing with our surge, but also as we want to eventually step out of this, it’s going to take significant amounts of testing and then contact tracing,” explained Beshear.
During Thursday’s briefing, the governor reported 159 new cases including a ten day old infant. Beshear also reported seven new deaths. Due to a change in the testing method, the governor predicted Friday would bring the highest new case count so far.?
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