Bottom Line: Gov. Beshear announces business capacity to increase to 75% and changes to mask mandate for those who have been vaccinated

All events and businesses with 1,000 or fewer people present can increase to 75% capacity starting May 28 and small groups of individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine no longer have to wear face masks indoors.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced the changes Thursday afternoon at a press briefing where he also noted he expects the state to be fully open with all capacity restrictions lifted by July with COVID-19 cases continuing to decline.

Thursday’s announcements mean on May 28, all events and businesses with 1,000 or fewer people present can increase to 75% capacity and indoor and outdoor events with more than 1,000 people can be held at 60% capacity. And a new executive order signed Thursday states small groups of individuals are no longer mandated to wear facial coverings indoors in private businesses or homes if all individuals present have received the final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior.

“We applaud these steps by Gov. Beshear to help get Kentucky back on track. Kentucky is ready to recover. With a large number of Kentuckians now vaccinated and a consistently low positivity rate, it is time to recover Kentucky’s economy and get business back open. The Kentucky Chamber has been working with the administration and made suggestions on capacity and masking and are very pleased to see these new policies put in motion and look forward to seeing a full recovery in the Commonwealth,” Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Ashli Watts said.

The Bottom Line is the official news site of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.