Gov. Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 16, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“Our COVID report today adds to a tough week,” said Gov. Beshear. “We need to buckle down; we need to wear masks; we need to follow that rule of no gatherings above 10 people at our homes. We need to social distance and we shouldn’t play politics with this virus. It is real. It doesn’t matter if there’s an election a couple of weeks away.”

He also shared that he, the First Lady and their children, Will and Lila, are all still feeling great. They continue to test negative for COVID-19 and have been keeping a positive attitude about their quarantine, enjoying the extra time with each other and their dog, Winnie.

“We are going to continue quarantining, as asked by the Department for Public Health, because that’s what everybody else is asked to do in this same situation,” said Gov. Beshear. “We want to set a good example.”

The member of the Governor’s security detail who tested positive for COVID-19 is still experiencing mild symptoms, but doing well.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Oct. 16, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 85,506 COVID-19 cases in Kentucky, 1,319 of which were newly reported Friday. There were 189 newly reported cases from children up through age 18, of which 36 were children 5 and under. The youngest was only 7 days old.

“Another piece of unfortunate news: We have a COVID-19 outbreak at the Little Sandy Correctional Complex. We’ve had 17 inmates and two staff test positive. We will be testing the entire facility, and we will be using the protocols that we first used at Green River to successfully stop an outbreak that had occurred there.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported four new deaths Friday, raising the total to 1,300 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“My faith tells me I have to treat my neighbor as myself, and that means I have to protect my neighbor, whether I know them or not,” said Gov. Beshear. “My rights stop where they could be harmed. Let’s do the right thing and let’s follow our values.”

The deaths reported Friday include a 77-year-old woman from Adair County; a 51-year-old man from Bullitt County; and two women, ages 86 and 94, from Madison County.

As of Friday, there have been at least 1,773,349 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate was 4.70%, and at least 17,018 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here. To see all recent daily reports, click here.

Information about COVID-19 and schools is also being made available. To view the reports, click here for K-12 and here for colleges and universities.

Week in Review
For more information on this week’s updates, including those on one Kentucky teenager’s battle with COVID-19, the importance of quarantine after potential exposure, the Team Kentucky Fund, $2.8 million in grants for Recovery Kentucky Centers, Volkswagen Mitigation Settlement funding for sustainable transportation, early voting, the importance of schools reporting COVID-19 data, a change in the way the state calculates its positivity rate, $37 million in Victims of Crime Act funding, the Buckle Up, Phone Down highway safety campaign, the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees Awards, the importance of getting tested for COVID-19 regularly, the recognition of a Kentucky sailor killed at Pearl Harbor, the Kentucky Fresh Harvest greenhouse opening in Lincoln County, National Protect Your Hearing Month and the virtual ribbon cuttings for new fitness centers at three Kentucky schools, visit governor.ky.gov/news.

More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and summaries of the Governor’s news conferences at teamkentuckytranslations.com.

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