Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentuckians should expect an extension of his administration's mask mandate as the state works to stabilize coronavirus trends.
The mandatory face-covering order expires on August 10th, but the governor is poised to extend the mandate - which he credits with helping interrupt a sharp increase in COVID cases in the state.
Tuesday, Beshear announced 700 new cases and a 5.24 percent positivity rate. Though both are up from recent days, the governor added, "when you compare Monday and Tuesday of last week and this week, it looks like in the very least we are slowing down what we were seeing, which ought to prevent us from being a Florida, an Arizona, or one of the states that are going in that direction."
While he stopped short of committing to the action, the governor suggested restaurants may be allowed to boost capacity again as early as next week. Beshear sounded less confident about bars, which he said will need to look different when they reopen.
First Lady Britainy Beshear also debuted Coverings for Kids, a donation drive to supply masks for Kentucky students, teachers, and school staff.