The Kentucky General Assembly has given final passage to ending the coronavirus declaration of emergency this month. It was originally scheduled to end in mid-April. Both chambers overrode the governor’s veto of the resolution. Jessamine County GOP Senator Donald Douglas said heart disease causes about two thousand daily deaths in America while COVID has led to 15 hundred daily deaths.
“Now, we’re certainly not taking away from this tragedy, but we must recognize the science behind this tells us that it’s time for us to move to the next step,” said Douglas.
Democratic members said by ending the emergency declaration prior to mid-April, the state stands to lose millions in food stamp benefits.
GOP senators said the governor could still ask for a one-month extension. That’s something Louisville Democratic Senator David Yates took exception to.
“The rationale for passing this is that if we say we want to end the emergency exception, the governor could apply for a one-month extension, but then it’s over. Does that make sense to anybody here?” asked Yates.
Douglas said the SNAP benefits will return to a normal level. He said 28 other states had ended the emergency declarations. He added other coronavirus variants may appear but argued citizens can’t live under a constant state of emergency. Louisville Democratic Senator Morgan McGarvey said the state’s been without coronavirus restrictions for six months.
