Kentucky has unveiled a monument honoring the families of U.S. troops killed in military conflicts.
The Gold Star families memorial was dedicated Sunday on the grounds of the state Capitol in Frankfort. Governor Andy Beshear said approximately 10,000 Kentucky families are on the registry of Gold Star families.
“They fought for all of our freedoms, and the gold stars bestowed with an honor those families that no one seeks but makes them a part of a special fraternity,” Beshear said.
Beshear used Monday’s COVID-19 briefing to stress the urgency of the commonwealth’s rise in virus cases.
Beshear pointed to a new White House report on coronavirus infection as evidence of Kentucky’s critical status in the fight against the pandemic. Marshall County appears in the “red zone” of virus transmission, signaling the highest level of spread in the government report. The Marshall County Health Department is increasing enforcement operations against businesses not enforcing the mask mandate in an effort to combat the virus.
“Due to the recent rise in positive cases and additional deaths, the Marshall County Health Department will increase efforts to help protect the health of our community, which includes issuing citations to businesses who continue to violate the mask order,” department spokeswoman Jennifer Brown wrote in a press release.
Beshear reported 456 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the commonwealth’s total to 66,939. The state’s positivity rate for virus tests is 4.41%.
The state reported five new Kentuckians are dead as a result of the coronavirus. The statewide death toll is 1,162.
