Governor Beshear anticipates the state Historic Properties Advisory Commission to vote Friday to remove the Jefferson Davis statue from the state capitol rotunda. During his nightly briefing Thursday, the governor said it’s long past due to move the statue of the confederate president to another location.
Beshear envisions three primary considerations for the space in the center of the capitol, if relocation is finalized. “It could be used for extra capacity in the rotunda. Number two, we could determine a permanent statue to go in its place. Number three, we could have a rotation of different statues that could come in and be a part of that,” said Beshear.
As far as a potential future location for the Jefferson Davis statue, Governor Beshear said he believes the intended spot is in a Todd County park. Davis was born in Fairview Kentucky on the Todd County-Christian County line.?
If coronavirus hotspots flare up this summer in Kentucky, Governor Beshear said it might mean a regional pause in activity. The governor said localities always have the option of doing less when it comes to re-opening. And Beshear noted the extent of illness must also be assessed. “The question is are those that are getting the virus in harm’s way. Are they getting sick? So, the numbers we’re really going to be looking at is hospitalizations, ICU’s, and ventilators. And especially the ventilator numbers is still in a very good place here in Kentucky, meaning most of our ventilators are free and very few people are on one,” explained Beshear.
Citing a backlog in the federal system, Governor Beshear said the 69 new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday are not a true reflection of the case count. The governor also announced Thursday nine deaths connected with coronavirus.
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