Governor News Releases

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 29, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“The commonwealth is at war with the coronavirus. It’s going to take how long it takes. But we know if we don’t put our best effort forward, it will take the lives of our people, it will hurt our economy and it will impact the education that our kids get,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is probably the most significant challenge that most of us will face in our lifetimes. We’ve got to come together as a state. We all have to do what it takes.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. July 29, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 28,727 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 619 of which were newly reported Wednesday. Seventeen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger.

“It’s another day of tough news that we’re seeing across the country: whether it is Dr. Fauci warning that a number of states including us are poised for a significant outbreak, or high and even record-breaking numbers just to the south and all the way around us,” said Gov. Beshear. “That’s why we’re acting decisively. If we plateau again, it’s because of the hard work and willingness of people to wear facial coverings.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported five new deaths Wednesday, raising the total to 724 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Wednesday include an 87-year-old woman from Clay County; an 82-year-old man from Graves County; a 77-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 58-year-old woman from Knott County; and a 71-year-old man from McCracken County.

“Let’s make sure we stop the spread because we know what follows high cases are high death counts,” said Gov. Beshear. “None of us, none of us, want to see that. Stopping this virus is what we do for those five families hurting today.”

As of Wednesday, there have been at least 609,989 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.81%. At least 7,495 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.

Unemployment Insurance Update
Today, the Governor announced that in-person unemployment insurance services will begin in Louisville next week, from Monday, Aug. 3 to Friday, Aug. 7. Kentuckians must register online at kcc.ky.gov. The

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 28, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“We are at war with this virus. It has come to take the lives of our people, it has tried to turn everything about our lives upside down, and it’s our job to fight back,” the Governor said. “This is a war fought by every single one of us. Every single individual’s actions matter.”

Gov. Beshear again warned that without everyone complying with safety requirements – including social distancing, wearing face coverings and avoiding travel to virus hotspots – we risk squandering our hard work and facing the devastation being experienced by some other states.  

“Today, again, tough news for Florida and Texas: Florida setting a record for deaths in a single day and in Texas, every six minutes and 16 seconds they are losing someone to COVID-19,” the Governor said. “But again, we are at a point in time where we have the ability to stop this before it gets anywhere close to what we’ve seen in those states.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. July 28, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 28,126 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 532 of which were newly reported Tuesday. Twenty-one of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger, including a 2-month-old girl from Madison County and a 7-month-old boy from Graves County.

“Today’s update gives us hope that we may be seeing a new plateau or stabilization, although it is too early to come to that conclusion,” the Governor said. “It’s also the first time the positivity rate has gone down in four days. My hope is that the facial covering requirement is starting to kick in and help.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 10 new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 719 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Tuesday include a 74-year-old woman from Butler County; an 84-year-old man from Fayette County; two women, ages 86 and 87, and an 82-year-old man from Jefferson County; two women, ages 89 and 101, and an 83-year-old man from Logan County; a 37-year-old man from Lyon County; and a 73-year-old woman from Oldham County.

“Let’s remember, high cases means we lose more Kentuckians,” said Gov. Beshear. “Every time we do something that spreads the virus, we expose more people to that potential outcome.

As of Tuesday, there have been at least 599,251 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.08%. At least 7,470 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.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 25, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday, once again, announced the second-highest single-day total of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Kentucky.

“Today’s numbers continue a concerning increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in our commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “We expect to take additional steps next week if the case numbers don’t stabilize.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. July 25, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 26,764 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 836 of which were newly reported Saturday. Twenty-two new cases were from children ages 5 and younger.

“Yesterday, there were more than 74,000 new cases and more than 1,000 deaths reported across the country,” said Gov. Beshear. “We know how to control this virus. We’ve seen states like New York – which had hospitals overflowing with sick patients in March and April – now reporting a positivity rate of 1% or less. If they can do it, we can do it. But we have to work together, stay smart and wear face coverings.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported five new deaths Saturday, raising the total to 696 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“This is the part that never gets easier and never will,” said Gov. Beshear. “Every day that we do the right thing, we are protecting each other from the worst pain imaginable. My heart is with these families every waking moment.”

The deaths reported Saturday include a 79-year-old man from Casey County; an 80-year-old man from Christian County; two women, ages 68 and 93, from Fayette County; and a 66-year-old man from Ohio County.

As of Saturday, there have been at least 582,521 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.41%, the highest rate reported in the last few months* and a sign the disease is spreading more actively in our communities.

“The number of positive cases in Kentucky is on the rise, but we can still avoid the crises confronting other states,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department for Public Health, referring to other states’ filled ICU beds and increasing deaths. “Our personal choices, right now and every day, will directly determine Kentucky’s situation in early August. Small acts of kindness and personal sacrifice will make a big difference. We can choose to delay a party or picnic. We can shop for groceries or go to the pharmacy when it’s less crowded. We can opt for an online or drive-up worship service. We can wear a face mask. Every one of us has a role to play in determining Team Kentucky’s future.”

At least 7,421 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

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

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 24, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday announced the second-highest daily total of new cases of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in Kentucky.

“Today we are reporting what I believe is the second-highest number of new cases we have had since our first case on March 6, with 797 new cases of COVID-19. That brings our total number of cases to 25,931. What it means is we are continuing to see an increase and a growth that we absolutely have to stop,” said Gov. Beshear. “And we’ll be watching these very carefully through the weekend and if we do not see the numbers come down, we going to have a series of recommendations and steps that we’ll need to take next week.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. July 24, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 25,931 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 797 of which were newly reported Friday. Nineteen new cases were from children ages 5 and younger.

“Let’s make sure that we’re more committed than ever,” said Gov. Beshear. “Let’s make sure that we are not violating these basic rules that we know can help us. Let’s make sure we realize that each and every one of our actions can impact someone else. And let’s just realize that this thing is escalating in Kentucky, that we’re seeing more cases than we ever imagined before. And now is the time for everybody to recognize the severity of the situation that we’re in.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported seven new deaths Friday, raising the total to 691 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“Let’s remember these families need our help,” said Gov. Beshear. “And because of the surge in cases, we’re probably going to see more families out there in the near future need our help. So let’s not get tired. Let’s light our houses up green. Let’s ring those bells every single morning at 10 a.m. People need us now more than ever not just to wear a facial covering. Not just to engage in social distancing. Not just to cut their social occasions at their home to 10 not just to cancel your vacation if you’re going to any state that has a 15% positivity rate. But also they need your compassion. And they need your help when they have suffered the worst.”

The deaths reported Friday include an 81-year-old man from Boone County; a 59-year-old woman from Hardin County; an 85-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 66-year-old man from Oldham County; and two women, ages 54 and 74, from Warren County.

“Again, how we manage this crisis, whether we can bring down cases is going to determine how many lives we lose,” said Gov. Beshear. “It’s going to determine what economic impact we have going forward because our reopening and our economy are now tied to how well we deal with this virus. And it’s going to be directly related to when we can get our kids back in school for in-person classes.”

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 22, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday that the state is looking to close out fiscal year 2020 without a shortfall, despite the continuing challenges presented by efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The Governor also provided an update on the state’s efforts to fight the pandemic as cases here and across the country have surged in recent days.

“It is just so critical that we do the right thing, right now. Today I got a grim report. There is at least one casket maker that is having every single bit of its capacity sent to Georgia and Alabama and Texas, not on the delivery trucks that they’re used to using, but on 18-wheelers,” said Gov. Beshear. “Let’s make sure that Kentucky doesn’t end up in that position. What we’re dealing with is life or death, but the good news is we are taking the type of aggressive action that should work.”

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, noted that among Kentucky’s quick and aggressive actions is its robust testing regime. However, he warned against believing that alone is a panacea in this fight.

“We have come light years away from where we were a couple months ago on testing, but we cannot test our way out of poor decision making,” said Dr. Stack. “We cannot test our way out of bad judgement. You don’t solve an infection with a test. You prevent an infection with a mask.”

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Update
While staying focused on the pandemic fight, the Governor said he was pleased to report some good economic news.

Gov. Beshear credited the hard work of Cabinet leaders and state agency officials as the state’s General Fund revenues for fiscal year 2020 came in far higher than was expected only months ago. The Governor praised the administrators of all state agencies, who were asked to reduce spending by a 1% annualized amount in the last two months. He said they did better than that, by limiting hiring and holding the line on discretionary expenses without reducing levels of service.

The Governor said the official numbers for fiscal year 2020 – the filing for which was extended from April 15 to July 15 this year due to the pandemic – will show a surplus. He noted that it is a marked improvement from May 22, when a revised revenue estimate expected a shortfall of $457 million. He said the Office of the State Budget Director will issue final end-of-the-fiscal-year numbers and details after the books officially close this weekend.

In immediate practical terms, this improved economic footing means:

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 20, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday updated Kentuckians on continued efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) as the commonwealth faces a significant uptick in new cases.

“The virus is spreading out there. It’s spreading significantly. We must make sure that we take the steps to keep ourselves safe, our families safe and each other safe. Any concept that there’s just more testing out there and the virus is still in the same place is absolutely and categorically false,” the Governor said. “A fact’s a fact. Twitter can’t change that. Make sure that you know where we are right now so we can adopt what we need to get through.”

He noted that the daily number of positive cases as well as the rolling seven-day average shows Kentucky is seeing its positivity rate on COVID-19 tests jumping from around 2% in mid-March to about 4% in recent weeks.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said the growth in cases and the positivity rate was somewhat difficult for many to understand.

“People aren’t used to exponential growth. Sunday was our highest total by far. When you start this climb, it’s like going up Mount Everest. But we know we can control this, we’ve proven that. We know that the things we’ve recommended work,” said Dr. Stack, noting nearly a thousand new cases were reported yesterday. “Sunday was a wake-up call. Sunday was a warning. It’s a shot across the bow. Our fate is collectively in Team Kentucky’s hands, whether we can adopt a simple measure like wearing a mask. If we don’t take some strong action, people will see how bad things can get in Kentucky, and believe me, we don’t want to get there.”

In an effort to blunt the growth in cases, Gov. Beshear today announced a new travel advisory and a pullback on the guidance for mass gatherings.

The new travel advisory recommends a 14-day self-quarantine for travelers who went to any of eight states – Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas – that are reporting a positive coronavirus testing rate equal to or greater than 15%. The advisory also includes Mississippi, which is quickly approaching a positive testing rate of 15%, and the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico.

The states and territory were identified from data reported to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.

“The No. 1 COVID-19 cluster cause that we’re seeing right now is travel. We know how much this is being brought back. We are asking anyone who goes to a state that has over a 15% positivity rate to quarantine for 14 days when they come back,” said Gov. Beshear. “Fifteen percent is really dangerous. We need people to change their plans because it’s a life or death matter for this commonwealth.”