FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear announced in a press release Friday that there are 809 new COVID-19 cases and 11 new coronavirus-related deaths in the state of Kentucky.
“I know this is a big weekend: Derby weekend, even though it’s September, and Labor Day weekend,” said Gov. Beshear. “Traditionally, we’d get together with a lot of people over this weekend. This year, I need you to do it a little differently. Just this one time, probably in your entire life, please keep your gatherings small, 10 people or fewer.”
Ninety-eight of the newly reported cases were from children age 18 and younger, of which eight were children ages 5 and under. The youngest was a 2-month-old baby from Jefferson County.
“We’re trying to keep our businesses open and get our economy to bounce back. We’re going to get our kids back in school later this month. We’re trying to get high school sports up and going and keep them going,” said Gov. Beshear. “So we really need you to help us on all the other things like wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently and social distancing.”
The deaths reported Friday include a 61-year-old man from Barren County; 88-year-old woman from Carroll County; an 82-year-old man from Clinton County; an 82-year-old woman from Hardin County; two men, ages 72 and 77, from Jefferson County; a 77-year-old woman from Kenton County; a 67-year-old woman from Marion County; a 75-year-old man from Owsley County; a 79-year-old woman from Rockcastle County; and a 64-year-old woman from Warren County.
“I know how much we all want to see our families and friends for this holiday, but for one year, we need to prioritize making sure every person we care about is around to celebrate with us next year,” said Gov. Beshear. “We have already lost so many Kentuckians, and I don’t want that loss to be even greater. It will be if we have a spike in cases.”
As of Friday, there have been at least 910,697 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 4.70%. At least 10,587 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
