New COVID-19 cases topped 1,200 Thursday, as the governor warned of a make or break moment heading into the colder months.
"Today's COVID report is not good news," Gov. Andy Beshear began.
In a short but somber briefing, the governor said a number of indicators are moving in the wrong direction - from a daily case total at 1,260 to a positivity rate inching closer to 5 percent, higher than it's been in a month. Beshear also delivered the news of 20 new deaths attributed to the virus.
"It's time to realize that this is getting worse, not better," he warned. "With fall here and winter coming, this is the time where we either succeed or we begin to fail."
The governor pleaded with Kentuckians to take the threat seriously, mask up, and commit to doing what it takes to keep one another safe, no matter how long the pandemic persists.
Beshear made the remarks from the Governor's Mansion, where he and his family are currently quarantined after an exposure to virus.