FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentuckians should avoid large Thanksgiving gatherings as a safeguard to protect extended family and friends from a surging COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday.
Instead, in-person get-togethers should be limited to people from the same household, he said.
While the health guidelines might be tough to swallow, the guidance can save lives as Kentucky struggles with its worst outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Democratic governor said.
“That person that you may think that you will really miss sitting across the table from you this year, I want to make sure is across the table from you next year,” Beshear said at a news conference. “And this right now is the most dangerous time we’ve had in this virus.”
The Thanksgiving guidance came as the state reported 2,120 new virus cases - its highest total for a Tuesday and fifth-highest day overall, Beshear said. He also reported 14 more virus-related deaths, raising the statewide death count to at least 1,590.
The guidance includes avoiding in-person gatherings with people who don’t live in your household.
Cramming large numbers of people from various households into confined spaces - where they’re eating, drinking, talking and laughing together - is “a perfect recipe to spread this virus,” said Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner.
The guidance also calls for people to avoid large gatherings, especially indoors, and to avoid crowded parades and holiday shopping in crowded stores.
The state’s guidance is in line with recommendations from the Trump administration, Beshear said.
The restrictions don’t mean a cancellation of Thanksgiving, the governor said.
“Far from it,” he said. “We ought to celebrate our blessings. We ought to be able to be in touch with each other through Zoom. But we ought to be thankful for having the knowledge of how to protect those around us.”
The state’s latest statistics show the virus is “spreading really fast and we need your help” to contain it, the governor said. Nearly 1,190 virus patients are hospitalized in Kentucky, including 286 in intensive care, he said. The statewide rate for positive tests continued to climb, reaching 7.68%.
Total statewide virus cases surpassed 124,600.
Eighty of Kentucky’s 120 counties are reported to be in the red zone - the most serious category for COVID-19 incidence rates. People in those counties are asked to follow stricter recommended guidelines to contain the virus.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Monday announced strong results from a vaccine trial and said it was on track to file an emergency use application with regulators later this month. The development means “we can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the governor said Tuesday, while cautioning that “we’ve still got to get there.”
“Remember, we want to bring everybody along with us,” he said. “And that means between now and when that vaccine is safe and out there and people have access to it, we’ve got a lot of work to do. And we’re going to be judged by the number of people who are harmed, the number of people who we lose.”
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.
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