FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky’s governor extended his mask-wearing mandate Thursday and announced that the state fair will be limited to participants as safeguards against the recent coronavirus surge.
The actions came as the state reported 516 new coronavirus cases and eight more virus-related deaths Thursday. Total statewide cases from Monday to Thursday this week were down by nearly 250 from the same period last week, Gov. Andy Beshear said. He pointed to that as evidence that last month’s alarming escalation of infections has been halted.
Beshear again credited his requirement that most Kentuckians wear masks in public as a reason for the downturn. Beshear announced that his mask-wearing mandate will be extended another 30 days. The Democratic governor first imposed the statewide requirement about a month ago.
Compliance with the mask mandate is a crucial step to save lives, the governor said, adding it will allow the economy to rebound and enable children to return to school.
“It’s working,” Beshear told reporters. “And if we want to get some things back open that we had to pause, if we want to continue to grow our economy, this is our way.”
A legal showdown is looming over the governor’s COVID-19 emergency orders, including the mask requirement. The Kentucky Supreme Court stepped into a dispute last month by halting any lower court orders blocking Beshear’s executive actions pending its own review.
The dispute pits Beshear against the state’s Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, who contends the governor overstepped his constitutional authority with the orders. Cameron has said he wears a mask and urges others to do so.
Meanwhile, Beshear praised the state fair board for limiting this year’s state fair to participants only to help prevent a spread of the virus. The fair will be held later this month in Louisville. The restrictions mean such fair staples as concerts and food vendors won’t be featured this year.
“This is a decision that I think was necessary and one that will allow us to have the fair in a safe manner,” the governor said.
Public health was foremost in the minds of state fair board members in making the decision, said board chairman Steve Wilson.
“We had a lot of events planned for the general public … but it’s really impossible to enforce social distancing,” Wilson said. “We just felt like it was the proper thing to do.”
The World’s Championship Horse Show - one of the marquee events during the state fair - will be held without spectators.
Meanwhile, the governor said he’ll have new guidelines for restaurants and bars next week.
The updated guidelines haven’t been finalized, but he signaled that restaurants will likely be allowed to increase indoor capacity to 50% again, after having it reducing to 25% in late July to curb the state’s surge of virus cases. But restaurants should continue to prioritize outdoor seating to help contain the virus, Beshear said.
Bars should expect to face a “seat rule,” with expectations that it’s strictly enforced, he said.
“You go to a bar, expect to have a seat, expect to sit in it, expect not to get out of it unless you’re going to the restroom,” the governor said.
Bars and restaurants will likely be expected to serve their last drinks and food by 10 p.m., he said in previewing his potential actions next week.
Kentucky’s death toll from the virus rose to at least 760 with the eight newest deaths reported Thursday. Total statewide virus cases surpassed 33,250.
The state’s positivity rate - a seven-day rolling figure reflecting the average number of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 - remained steady at 5.51% on Thursday.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness and be fatal.
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