Governor Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19

Visit the Governor’s Facebook page to watch today’s news conference

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 12, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the commonwealth.

The Governor said he was feeling better a day after he and First Lady Britainy Beshear felt ill and the family was tested for the coronavirus.

“I am happy to report that both the First Lady and I and our kids and everybody that’s working around us tested negative for COVID yesterday, but we tried to take every precaution that we would want other people to take,” said Gov. Beshear.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Aug. 12, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 36,945 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 1,163 of which were newly reported Wednesday. Thirty-nine of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger.

“I believe today will be our single highest number of positive cases that we’ve had. Today we’ve set a record that we never wanted to set, going over 1,000 cases,” the Governor said. “Now, if there is good news in this, it is with the number of tests with the seven-day average, our positivity rate is actually down a little bit. But we need to get that much, much lower.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported seven new deaths Wednesday, raising the total to 790 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Wednesday to include a 71-year-old man from Barren County; a 73-year-old woman from Christian County; a 75-year-old woman from Fayette County; two women, ages 85 and 87, from Jefferson County; a 71-year-old man from Meade County; and an 80-year-old man from Oldham County.

In an effort to show the human stories behind the numbers, Gov. Beshear has highlighted some of the Kentuckians taken from us too soon by the deadly coronavirus. On Wednesday, he spoke about William “Curtiss” Ice of Nelson County, who passed away at age 72 after fighting COVID-19.

Ice served in the Kentucky National Guard Battalion 138th Field Artillery, before a career as a manufacturing engineer with General Electric. After retiring, he returned to his passion of farming where he remained active in agriculture and beef cattle.

“Above all else, Curtiss was proud of his family and loved helping serve people in need,” the Governor said. “Those who knew him described Curtiss as intelligent, amiable and ‘downright jolly.’ You’d often see him supporting his grandchildren in their sports or academics, or using his leadership qualities in organizations throughout the area.”

Ice is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Wanda, his three children, seven grandchildren and 10 siblings.

As of Wednesday, there have been at least 717,370 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.62%. At least 8,893 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.

$6 Million to Aid Kentucky Area Development Districts
Gov. Beshear announced today that Kentucky’s 15 Area Development Districts will have access to $6 million through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to reimburse costs associated with the fight against COVID-19.

“Our Area Development Districts are critical parts of our local communities,” said Gov. Beshear. “These funds come at a crucial time when we are looking for ways to strengthen our communities and thoughtfully provide new opportunities while continuing to keep Kentuckians safe. I am confident their guidance and this funding will help our cities and counties develop recovery plans that will help us come out of COVID-19 stronger than before.”

The funding will be split equally among the ADDs, totaling approximately $392,000 each. The remaining 1% each year will cover administrative costs for the Department for Local Government. A list of Kentucky ADDs and their areas of service is available here.

Travel Advisory Update
Gov. Beshear offered an update on his administration’s travel advisory, which recommends a 14-day self-quarantine for Kentuckians who travel to states and U.S. territories that are reporting a positive coronavirus testing rate equal to or greater than 15%.

The current areas meeting this threshold include Washington State, Florida, Nevada, Mississippi, Idaho, South Carolina, Texas, Alabama, and Arizona.

For an updated list of areas meeting that threshold, click here.

School Opening Guidance
On Monday, Gov. Beshear, in consultation with Kentucky teachers and school administrators, announced new guidance asking schools to wait until Sept. 28 to begin in-person classes.

The Governor said the decision was driven by four factors: Kentucky’s cases being near a peak, an increase in infection rates among children across the U.S., the experience of school districts in other states and families continuing to travel to hotspots for vacations against the advice of health officials.

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 account Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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

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By Erica Irish 
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Businesses and individuals in Marion County who choose not to follow safety requirements to limit the spread of COVID-19 could now see fines of $1,000 for first-time violations, according to an updated public health order.

“The time for warnings is over,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a virtual press conference Tuesday after a weekend that saw big health code violations, including at an event at the Indianapolis Speedrome where spectators packed stands without masks and social distancing.

Marion County Health Commissioner Dr. Virginia Caine joined Hogsett and explained the fines are designed to grab attention after efforts to educate and provide warnings floundered in recent months. To date, Caine said there have been 406 complaints related to COVID-19 public health requirements that resulted in two citations.

The new $1,000 fines can be compounded over several days if a business is discovered to have violated public health requirements more than once, and individuals may also be fined. Repeat violators could see their businesses closed indefinitely.

“We need to get your attention,” Caine said about the new approach.

Caine pointed to several data trends that indicate community spread of COVID-19 is still occurring in Marion County to explain why the health department is toughening its stance on enforcement. While the health department does expect the county’s overall positivity rate to decrease, the current seven-day positivity rate of 9.2% — representing the period between July 28 and Aug. 3 — is a sign that community spread is still happening.

Part of this is because the county managed to increase testing to around 2,500 tests per day, Caine said. But the number of positive cases still indicates work needs to be done to keep the public safe, and Caine noted trends can change quickly without the proper precautions.

The number of cases and deaths also continues to increase statewide, with the Indiana State Department of Health reporting an additional 884 cases and 25 new deaths Tuesday. A total of 75,862 cases have been recorded, and 2,863 are believed to have died from COVID-19.

Like Marion County, state officials continue to share updated public health guidelines with Hoosiers, including a recent mandate that most people wear masks when in public. But the statewide mask order leaves enforcement up to local health departments.

The virus also continues to disproportionately affect minority communities in the county, Caine said, with members of the Hispanic and Latinx community seeing nearly 2,240 positive tests per 100,000 people. Black and community members saw nearly 1,380 positive tests per 100,000 people, according to data from the county health department. Around 34% of all cases in Marion County, however, were recorded with no race or ethnicity.

Schools remain in a difficult position as a result of the county’s continued struggle with COVID-19. Marion County continues to base school reopening plans on the reported positivity rate. Schools are currently limiting their reopening plans based on the county’s “yellow” level, which allows for in-person instruction in elementary schools but limits classes in middle and high schools to a blend of online and face-to-face classes.

The ideal level, green, will allow all schools to open for in-person instruction. But to get there, the positivity rate needs to drop to between 0 and 5%. At a positivity rate of 13% or higher, all schools in Marion County will have to go online.

Hogsett said he’s confident leaders in state government, including Gov. Eric Holcomb, will ensure schools have the funding they need if they do choose to move online. He was responding to a question about a recent letter shared by Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, that suggested current Indiana law could limit school funding if students move online.

“I’m sure that will be resolved because all of us are committed to providing safe, quality educational opportunities for all students,” Hogsett said.

Caine also shared new guidelines Tuesday regarding high school sports. Football, which is expected to begin next Friday for some Marion County schools, will be allowed to continue so long as schools follow guidelines from the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

Right now, the guidelines force schools to limit spectators at football games to 250 people, and all of them will have to wear masks in the stands. Congregating around places like concession stands won’t be allowed, and masks must be worn by players on the sidelines.

Outside of schools, bars and nightclubs will remain closed in Marion County starting Friday. An update to the county’s public health order will require any business that restricts entry to guests 21 and over to remain closed. Restaurants will continue to face capacity limits, too, with outdoor and indoor dining required to remain at 50% capacity. Age-restricted restaurants will be limited to 25% indoor capacity with no bar service allowed.

FOOTNOTE: Erica Irish is the 2020 Russell Pulliam editor for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.