Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says the state may institute more mandates or guidelines as early as Wednesday if coronavirus case numbers show no signs of slowing.
With 103 of Kentucky's 120 counties now experiencing uncontrolled community spread and a positivity rate now just shy of 9 percent, the governor says alarm bells should be ringing in the state.
The first action announced this week was a tightening of restrictions on long-term care facilities, calling on all residents who leave and come back to facilities to quarantine. Kentuckians can expect more "targeted" regulations that look different from the shutdown implemented early in the pandemic, the governor told reporters Monday.
"We know too much about the virus now and we don't have to go to those lengths," Beshear said. "Will we have to look at additional restrictions on bars and restaurants? Yes."
More details on those and further possible restrictions are expected Wednesday, as well an update on virus modeling Tuesday. Given current trends, Beshear said the state should brace for more loss of life in the coming months.
"Our number of lost lives will more than double by the beginning of March on our current path," he reported.
That's if hospitals beds and staff can keep up. Should cases overwhelm the state's healthcare system, the governor said the numbers start to get "a lot worse."
