FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky’s restaurants - left reeling with massive income losses amid the coronavirus outbreak - can resume limited dine-in service later this month under the next phase of business reopenings announced by Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday.
The new phase includes June target dates for reopening movie theaters, fitness centers and campgrounds, the governor said at his daily briefing. By mid-June, he hopes to have a plan in place to reopen child-care centers at reduced capacity and to resume some youth sports.
It’s another sign Kentucky’s economy is set to spring back to activity after weeks of shutdowns caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Beshear announced the next timetable for business restarts on the same day that Kentucky surpassed 6,000 coronavirus cases and its death toll approached 300.
Under the new plan, restaurants can reopen dining rooms starting May 22 at 33% capacity, Beshear said. Restaurants can offer unlimited outdoor seating if they meet spacing guidelines, he said. Carryout and delivery services have continued at some restaurants amid the pandemic.
“I know this isn’t the capacity that our restaurants probably want,” the governor said at his daily briefing. “But the studies that we look at show that we’ve got to be really careful about this step.”
Beshear said he hopes to gradually ease limits on dine-in capacity at restaurants but referred to the plan as the “best compromise” to promote public health.
The restaurant sector has been hit hard by the global health crisis. Kentucky’s restaurants lost $550 million in sales in April, and they have laid off or furloughed 114,000 employees since the COVID-19 outbreak began, according to the Kentucky Restaurant Association.
Beshear said the restaurant reopen date was moved up after conversations with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. DeWine announced Thursday that restaurants and bars in his state can reopen for outside dining on May 15 and inside dining on May 21. Restaurant restrictions are also being lifted in two other neighboring states - Indiana and Tennessee, Beshear said.
“We had planned it for a little later but I think this is partial harm reduction, and the belief that those we work with sincerely want to do this right,” Beshear said Thursday.
Also under the new timetable, the target date to reopen movie theaters and fitness centers in Kentucky is June 1, followed by public and private campgrounds on June 11, he said.
The goal is to have a plan in place for child care centers to reopen June 15, he said. Those centers will resume at significantly reduced capacity and will be closely monitored, the governor said.
Another goal is to resume some youth sports in mid-June, Beshear said. The restarts would apply to “low touch” sports played outdoors, he said.
Beshear stressed that the start dates are goals as the state continues efforts to contain the virus.
“While this is the schedule I want to make happen, one thing and one thing only sets the schedule in the end and that’s the coronavirus,” he said. “Any peak that we see, any cause of major concern, we are all going to have to be willing to pause.”
Beshear previously presented plans for phased reopenings of retail businesses, factories and churches in May.
Meanwhile, the governor reported 208 more coronavirus cases in Kentucky on Thursday, raising the statewide total to more than 6,120 cases since the pandemic began. Beshear listed more than three dozen cases involving people ranging from ages 3 to 51, including some teenagers. Many of them are in their 20s and 30s. It shows people of all ages can become infected, he said.
“People believe that it doesn’t apply to them and that they can’t get it, just listen to some of those ages and know that you’ve got to take steps to protect yourself,” Beshear said.
Beshear reported 11 more virus-related deaths, bringing the total death count to at least 294 in Kentucky. More than 2,170 people in Kentucky have recovered from the virus, he said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, even death.
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