LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A surge in daily COVID-19 cases continued in Kentucky Friday as officials reported an outbreak at a state prison.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said there were 1,319 newly reported cases, the third day in a row the state surpassed 1,200 positives. There were four reported deaths.
Beshear continued to urge residents to wear masks in public and limiting gatherings to 10 people.
“We need to social distance and we shouldn’t play politics with this virus,” Beshear said in a release from the governor’s office Friday. “It is real. It doesn’t matter if there’s an election a couple of weeks away.”
An outbreak at the Little Sandy Correctional Complex in Elliott County has infected 17 inmates and two staff, according to Beshear. The governor said the entire prison will be tested.
Beshear has been in quarantine all week, after he and his family were potentially exposed by a member of his security detail. He said the family continues to test negative for the virus but will remain in quarantine.
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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