FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky’s daily count of new coronavirus cases surpassed 500 again on Wednesday, continuing an escalation that the governor hopes to stop with his mask-wearing requirement and other recent actions aimed at social gatherings and out-of-state travel.
With some other states overwhelmed by rising infection rates, Gov. Andy Beshear said it’s “critical we do the right thing right now to prevent what has happened in other states from happening here.”
The Democratic governor continued to stress the need for Kentuckians to wear facial coverings in public, follow social distancing guidelines and wash hands frequently.
Beshear reported 518 more virus cases Wednesday, raising the statewide total to at least 24,540 since the start of the pandemic. With the recent surge in cases, more than 600 people are hospitalized in Kentucky because of the virus, with 145 in intensive care, he said.
The governor reported three more virus-related deaths, raising the state’s death toll to 677. Kentuckians should brace themselves for potentially higher death counts, he said.
“Sadly, I think we need to expect that we will see in the coming weeks a significant increase in that,” Beshear said. “More cases, times the mortality rate, even if we can push it down some, is going to equal more deaths.”
But the governor was upbeat that his recent actions - including his mandate that most Kentuckians wear masks in public - will help blunt the surge in virus cases.
“We’re still waiting for the steps we’ve taken to have their impact, knowing that when you take a step it’s going to take 10 to 14 to 16 days to show up in the numbers.” Beshear said.
On Monday, Beshear announced new limits on social gatherings and a travel advisory to combat the escalation of cases. Kentuckians traveling to several hot spot states are now recommended to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine. Beshear also reduced the number of people allowed at social gatherings from 50 to 10. The new rule doesn’t apply to businesses or wedding venues, he said.
Meanwhile, with school districts making plans for the upcoming school year, the governor expressed empathy for teachers worried about returning to classrooms amid the pandemic.
“We’ve got to make sure that any reopening of our schools is safe for teachers,” he said.
One of the reasons for the mandatory mask order was to aggressively combat the virus ahead of school reopenings, the governor said. But he warned: “If we don’t see a turnaround in the numbers where we are right now, they (teachers) can expect some strong recommendations from me about when I think in-person classes should or should not start.”
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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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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