In his daily presser today, Governor Andy Beshear addressed the recent ruling that halted his temporary ban on mass gatherings for in-person church services.
The ruling on Friday by U.S. District Judge Greg Van Tatenhove allows in-person services to resume immediately. Beshear said he is making the guidance effective for services starting today.
“I know some folks are ready to get back to in-person services but we must remain vigilant and we must make sure that any house of worship is ready,” he said.
Beshear said his own church is not opening for in-person services until at least June.
“To every house of worship, go back when you’re ready. But what I’m requesting and what we really need is if you haven’t read through all the guidance and you can’t meet it, don’t come back just to come back,” he said. He asked churches to make sure their sanctuaries are a place of “safety and comfort.”
Beshear announced 158 new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth, bringing the total cases to 6,440. He said 86,900 tests total have been administered across the state.
The Calloway County Health Department confirmed three new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number in the county to 37. Of those cases, 31 are fully recovered, three are isolated at home, two are hospitalized and one person has died.
Beshear said 394 Kentuckians are currently being hospitalized with 226 in the ICU. He said the number of people in the ICU is increasing. The number of people recovered total is 2,308.
Beshear said six Kentuckians died today from the virus, including four Graves County residents: a 76-year-old male, a 95-year-old female, a 90-year-old female and an 81-year-old male.
Beshear said individuals between 20 and 40 years old make up 30 percent of the total coronavirus cases in the state. He said people between 40 and 70 make up 46 percent.
“I’m in that range and we don’t consider that range old. But a significant portion of COVID cases fall within it. For those who think this just hits people in their seventies and older, that’s just about 19 percent of our cases. Yes, it’s absolutely deadlier in the 60 and up population...but it's hitting everybody,” Beshear said.
Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health Dr. Steven Stack said he has been in contact with Purdue Chicken Plant, which has tested its entire workforce for coronavirus. He said the Ohio County facility had a positivity rate of 7.8 percent. He said that rate was “not as bad as we thought it could be.” Stack said the plant is working with three local health departments across three counties as well as the Kentucky Department of Health.
Stack said starting this Wednesday, certain hospitals will allow single visitors per patient. He said there is still a visitor restriction in effect for health care facilities, but at the discretion and policy of the hospital or healthcare facility they will permit up to one visitor per patient.
“We never wanted to separate people from their loved ones. It was all a safety measure but it will change Wednesday,” he said.
Up-to-date information on the coronavirus pandemic in the commonwealth can be found here.
