Beech Tree News Network

In the latest step to tamp down on community spread of the novel coronavirus, entertainment and recreation venues across Kentucky must cease operations by the end of the day on Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

By way of executive order, Beshear mandated in an afternoon Capitol press conference that “all public facing businesses that encourage public congregation, or that by the nature of their service” are unable to comply with social distancing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must cease operation indefinitely.

Entertainment and recreation venues include gyms and exercise facilities, community and recreation centers, hair and nail salons, spas, concert venues, theaters and sporting facilities.

Exempt businesses include those in food processing, agriculture, industrial manufacturing, groceries, retail stores, trash collection, home repair and hardware stores, post offices, banks, gas stations, veterinarian clinics, pet stores, public transportation and hotels, Beshear said.

“It’s another steps we have to take to make sure everybody’s sacrifice works,” Beshear said.

He also confirmed that two new Kentuckians have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the state’s number of confirmed cases up to 26.

The new cases are a 66-year-old man in Jefferson County and a 69-year-old man in Lyon County, which marks the first confirmed case in western Kentucky.

A case announced as new on Monday was removed from the state tally when health officials realized the person, a 33-year-old woman, was using a Lexington address but lives in New York, Beshear said.

To date, 380 people have been tested for the virus in Kentucky. The confirmed cases are spread across Fayette, Jefferson, Lyon, Harrison, Nelson, Clark, Bourbon and Montgomery counties. Beshear on Monday announced the first COVID-19 related death: a 66-year-old man with pneumonia who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 after being admitted to Baptist Health Lexington for having a stroke.

Preceding the news portion of Tuesday’s conference, Beshear screened an “age-appropriate” video, prepared by Dr. Allen Brenzel, medical director for the state Department for Behaviorial Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, aimed at helping kids better understand the coronavirus, social distancing, and how they should be treating the in-person break from school: “Kids, just because you’re out of school doesn’t mean you should be sleeping in and eating lots of sugar and not following the rules,” Beshear said tenderly.

Beshear urged parents to talk about COVID-19 with their kids in an honest, age-appropriate way, help create structure and routine during the day, and to make sure kids are getting accurate information on the virus.

Beshear has incrementally increased restrictions on social and work settings to help slow the spread of COVID-19, including ordering the closure of child care centers and adult daycares by the end of Friday, mandating the end of in-person dining and drinking at restaurants and bars, closing all government offices to in-person activities by the end of today, barring visitors at long-term care facilities and state prisons, delaying the state’s primary election to June 23, and waiving the state’s waiting period for accessing unemployment insurance benefits.

Roughly a day after Beshear waived the waiting period, Kentucky had already processed more than 9,000 unemployment claims, which in part contributed to the state website crashing for most of the day on Tuesday, said Josh Benton, deputy secretary of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

Kentucky residents can call the state coronavirus hotline — 1-800-722-5725 — for advice about when to seek medical treatment. Those with symptoms of coronavirus — cough, fever and difficulty breathing — are strongly urged to call the hotline or their physician before visiting a doctor.

Visit Kentucky’s coronavirus website, https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/pages/covid19.aspx, for more guidance about the disease.

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Date: 03-18-2020

By Alex Acquisto

Lexington Herald-Leader

Kentucky Press News Service