Governor Andy Beshear announced Monday new requirements for reporting cases of COVID-19 in public and private school districts.
Beshear said the new plan will allow for individual communities to make decisions on virtual or in-person learning based on a color-coded tracking system that identifies the severity of the virus in each county. The system, coupled with reporting from local health departments, will allow the state government to determine if case reporting complies with state guidelines.
The state previously recommended school districts postpone in-person instruction until September 28. Beshear said there will be no further recommendations from his office regarding start dates for school districts, and the online tool will allow the decisions to be made at the local level.
Beshear confirmed 342 new coronavirus cases Monday bringing the statewide total to 57,282. Over 1,000,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted throughout the commonwealth.
Five Kentuckians died Monday including a 71-year-old in Christian County. The death count sits at 1,065. Beshear criticized those seeking to downplay the death count from the virus. He said all comorbidities should be recognized as full COVID-19 deaths.
“These are children of God just like everyone else that deserve more time on this planet,” Beshear said.
