Gov. Andy Beshear is recommending that all schools - public and private - cease in-person classes for at least two weeks as the state looks to combat the novel coronavirus.
Following a host of other closures and cancellations across the state, the governor made the announcement Thursday: all schools should shut down in-person classes effective Monday.
"It's at least two weeks and we want to see how things develop," Beshear said. "If you have Spring Break that third week, we're asking people to go ahead and take those three weeks. We've got to see where it's going and I believe that there ought to be preparation that it may have to be longer. What we've got to do is what it takes."
The precaution joins a growing list of unprecedented steps being taken to halt the spread of COVID-19. The state has more than 10 confirmed or probable cases now, but so far testing has been reserved only for those meeting CDC guidelines for potential infection.
Beshear said the drastic social distancing measures, which now include recommendations that all residents avoid crowds when possible, are necessary to blunt the effects of the illness. He said at least three labs are now testing in Kentucky -- the state lab, LabCorps, and the University of Louisville.
