Home » Beshear recommends strict actions for Kentucky communities with a certain positivity rate

Beshear recommends strict actions for Kentucky communities with a certain positivity rate

By Jacqueline Pitts
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
The Bottom Line

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky counties that reach a certain number of COVID-19 cases are being encouraged by Gov. Andy Beshear to take strong steps to reduce positivity.

At his press conference on Monday, Beshear stressed the state and country are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to COVID-19 cases with many of the state’s highest case numbers in recent weeks and 950 cases announced on Monday.

He stated while the state has put significant restrictions and guidance in place, there are too many positive cases across the state.

To address this, Beshear released recommendations Monday for counties in the “red zone,” which includes counties that have 25 or more daily cases per 100,000 residents. He said the recommendations aim to help get community spreads back under control and protect Kentuckians.

Beshear said Kentucky communities should be checking public data each Thursday evening to see if their counties are in the “red zone.” If an area is in that category, the Beshear administration says they should follow a set of new recommendations.

If a community is in the red zone, Beshear says businesses should allow employees to work from home as much as possible, everyone should reduce in-person shopping and encourage curbside pick-up, dining in at restaurants should be avoided, events should be rescheduled/postponed, people should not attend or host in-person gatherings of any size, and any activities outside the home should be avoided.

The items listed Monday are recommendations rather than mandates, Beshear said, because mandates only work if people follow them. He said he feels the state needs to encourage rather than mandate and ensure some community ownership in this fight.

Beshear said he believes that communities can come out of the red within a week if these recommendations are followed.