Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reported a record high number of cases of COVID-19 Thursday, following an announcement of new restrictions the prior day.
With 3,649 new confirmed cases, the overall total is now up to 148,390, and the positivity rate jumped once again, now at 9.18 percent. Governor Beshear says they hope to see results from the new restrictions in the coming weeks, to show a de-escalation of what he calls staggering numbers of cases.
He says if people don’t do as they should during the Thanksgiving holiday, these new numbers could pale in comparison. Governor Beshear says he’s been reaching out to religious leaders about scaling back in-person services in churches and other houses of worship—it is a request at the moment, not a mandate.
There are now 112 counties listed as ‘red or critical’ on the incidence rate map, including Christian, Todd, Trigg and nearly all of western Kentucky. Thirty more Kentuckians have died, including an 80-year old woman from Hopkins County, up to 1,742 in total.
The new restrictions issued by the governor Wednesday limits private gatherings down to eight people or less, limits venue event capacity down to 25 people, and bars and restaurants will be closing to indoor seating starting at 5 p.m. Friday. It also calls on all schools to cease in-person instruction starting November 23, which Christian County Public Schools says it will do, with middle and high schools to remain virtual until January 4, and elementary schools able to resume in-person on December 7, as long as their county is not ‘red’.