Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced Friday the commonwealth’s tourism sites and state parks will reopen in June as part of the phased thaw of the state’s economy.
Kentucky state resort parks and recreation facilities, not including pools, will open to the public June 1. Beshear said guests can make reservations online beginning Tuesday, May 19. The state’s campgrounds and the Kentucky Horse Park will open June 11.
Some state parks are currently used in the fight against COVID-19. Lake Cumberland, Lake Barkley, Blue Licks Battlefield and Buckhorn Lake will remain closed until a later date.
“Tourism is an incredibly important business in Kentucky,” Beshear said. “We’re taking a big revenue hit from it.”
Beshear confirmed 252 new coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the statewide total to 7,444. He said the increase in cases largely comes from the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, a prison under the jurisdiction of the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Four Kentuckians died Friday as a result of COVID-19, including two inmates at the federal prison in Lexington.
A new drive-thru testing facility will open next week at the Graves County High School. The site comes through a partnership with Kroger and Gravity Diagnostics. Those interested in signing up for a test at the Graves County facility should register online. Beshear said 127,689 coronavirus tests have been administered in Kentucky.
More information concerning COVID-19 in Kentucky can be found here.
