FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Three more cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in Kentucky, bringing the state’s total to four, Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday.
Beshear said state lab tests confirmed the latest positive cases in Fayette, Harrison and Jefferson counties. Fayette and Jefferson counties are the two most populous counties in Kentucky. Their county seats are Lexington and Louisville, respectively.
Beshear said all three of the individuals are in isolation. He said no further information would be released.
“We are ready for this,” Beshear said in a video broadcast on Facebook. “We have been preparing with every minute that we’ve had to make sure that we can respond and respond appropriately.”
Kentucky’s first case of the new coronavirus was announced Friday, a patient from Harrison County in northern Kentucky who is in isolation at a hospital in Lexington.
As a preventative measure, Harrison county’s public schools superintendent will be closing the school system for part of this coming week, and perhaps the entire week, Beshear has said. Nursing homes are recommended to close to visitors and public gatherings should be delayed in the county with a population of more than 18,000, the governor said.
The governor has declared a state of emergency to ensure all state entities have the necessary resources to respond. The declaration sets up a central, coordinated response, he said.
Beshear said 21 individuals have been tested for the virus in Kentucky and 17 tests have come back negative.
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