By mid-June all Kentucky state parks and lodges are expected to be open for visitors. That includes four state parks, Lake Cumberland, Lake Barkley, Blue Licks Battlefield, and Buckhorn Lake, which had been designated for temporary housing for low acuity COVID-19 patients.
During his nightly briefing, Governor Beshear said care will be taken to make sure crowds aren’t an issue in lodging or dining areas. “We’re going to monitor that very carefully. We’re going to look at our bookings. We’re going to make sure we don’t have the density that’s there and then we’re going to police social distancing,” said Beshear.
Beshear said state park employees are being trained to model the best behaviors. The governor also announced Kentucky Kingdom amusement park will be able to open June 29th. Beshear also noted he hopes a limited number of state public pools will be allowed to open that same week.
Governor Beshear is optimistic that high school sports can resume, but he admitted it might mean a different time of year for some teams. He said it appears the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and his administration are thinking along the same lines. Beshear said it could involve delaying a fall sport for a few months. “Even with a major sport if it would be safer to move potentially from the fall to the spring or think about different ways to do it, I hope we’re open to it. That gives the best chance for those student athletes to have the chance to play,” explained Beshear.
Governor Beshear reported 113 new coronavirus cases and nine deaths yesterday. The governor still believes the state is experiencing a decline in COVID-19 activity. If a bump in cases occurs this summer, Beshear said a response could be surgical and not an across the board pause. The governor noted additional testing and contact tracing are both important to stabilize and reduce outbreaks.?
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