Governor News Releases

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 6, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday prepared voters to take part safely in the upcoming primary elections and revised travel restrictions as we continue to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Today, the Governor also provided updates on coronavirus statistics and expanding testing efforts. He offered new details about primary elections that were moved to late June and issued a new executive order on travel restrictions.

“As long as we continue to be good neighbors, we can write our chapter in the history books about how to defeat this pandemic,” Gov. Beshear said.

Case information
As of 5 p.m. May 6, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 5,934 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 159 of which were newly confirmed Wednesday, a day after the largest one-day total of new cases were reported.

“Obviously, that is less than half of yesterday, so we do still believe we are stabilized and hopefully plateaued here in the commonwealth,” the Governor said.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear also reported eight new deaths Wednesday, raising the state’s toll to 283 deaths related to the virus.

“These are eight of us, these are eight of our citizens who are gone too early. These are eight families and eight communities in mourning today,” the Governor said. “Let’s prove that no matter how many days we have to report these, that we care just as much each and every day.”

The deaths include two women, ages 88 and 95, from Jackson County; a 72-year-old woman from Jefferson County; two women, ages 85 and 99, from Kenton County; two women, ages 57 and 63, from Muhlenberg County; and a 73-year-old from Russell County.

At least 2,125 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 5, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that Kentuckians will defeat the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) by learning from the Greatest Generation and employing the qualities of personal responsibility.

“Those qualities of personal responsibility are critically important. My actions and how they impact other people, I am responsible for,” Gov. Beshear said. “Of integrity. Of knowing, we do not get days off when it comes to this virus, and knowing the impact that we can have on others. Work ethic. We have to have the work ethic to complete our task and to come out of this having protected those around us. Finally, faithful commitment. We are fully committed to defeating this virus. We are going to faithfully continue to do what it takes. This is our moment in history, and people’s lives depend on us.”

Teacher Appreciation Week
Gov. Beshear hailed the work of Kentucky’s great educators during Teacher Appreciation Week and Teacher Appreciation Day, May 5.

“We so appreciate the job our teachers are doing,” said Gov. Beshear. “What teachers have done in this time of crisis is truly amazing. From preparing work for children to complete at home to helping deliver food – thank you.”

Case information
As of 5 p.m. May 5, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 5,822 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 625 of which were newly confirmed Tuesday. More than 300 of the positive cases were from testing at Green River Correctional Complex.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear also reported 14 new deaths Tuesday, raising the state’s toll to 275 deaths related to the virus. Many of those deaths were related to long-term care facilities, the Governor said.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 4, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday offered new details on guidelines for businesses and health care providers looking to restart safely as we continue to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The Governor provided updated information for employers relaunching under Kentucky’s Healthy at Work initiative and announced new partnerships to expand testing in Northern Kentucky and provide masks for Kentucky businesses.

“Let’s remember: Even as we work at being Healthy at Work, we are still dealing with a very deadly virus out there,” the Governor said. “We have to be gradual and we have to be smart. We have to make the right decisions and we need everyone on board.”

Gov. Beshear launched the Healthy at Work initiative in late April to guide the smart, safe and gradual reopening of the state’s economy. The initiative sets out public health benchmarks for reopening Kentucky’s economy. These benchmarks closely follow the White House’s Guidelines for Reopening America.