Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced 688 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and the positivity rate is once again slightly above five percent.
Those new cases bumps the overall total in the Commonwealth up to 44,568, with the positivity rate up to 5.07 percent and the Governor’s Office is starting to report on number of students testing positive for coronavirus. He says they will continue to report those student numbers, much like they have for long term care facilities and more, to maintain transparency and keep close watch of those numbers.
Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman says the administration is working to overcome the struggle many rural and low income families have with adequate internet broadband service—there are still families throughout the state who have no internet access at all. She announced an $8 million investment to reduce monthly cost of internet services for low income families, and applications can be made at education.ky.gov.
Governor Beshear has signed 646 more commutations on behalf of non-violent, non-sexual offense inmates, who would have less than six months left to serve on their sentences. This effort is to help lower their exposure to COVID-19 in the prison system.
Ten more Kentuckians have died, including an 87-year old woman from Logan County, bringing that total up to 895. Governor Beshear says the White House has told his office that Kentucky is improving—now out of the ‘red zone’ and into the ‘yellow’—but work is still left to be done.
Tennessee saw 813 new cases of COVID-19, putting the total there at 145,417—40 new deaths puts that total at 1,628. Montgomery County gained 15 cases, Robertson County saw 21 new cases and Stewart County gained two new cases.