Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear announced that Ford Motor Company has donated another 1 million masks to help ensure that the state's schoolchildren have access to face coverings.
The automaker’s donation came Tuesday as the Delta variant increased COVID-19 infections among youngsters and the state recorded its highest positivity rate since the beginning of the pandemic.
Earlier this month a mask mandate was issued by Governor Andy Beshear for Kentucky’s K-12 schools and the Kentucky Board of Education voted in favor of masking for up to 270 days. The board has the option to rescind the requirement if the CDC adjusts guidance for schools, but as of now, the 270 days would cover the rest of this school year.
To ensure children have access to masks, the First Lady and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman launched the “Coverings for Kids” initiative last year, which collected more than 1.8 million masks. The biggest contributor was Ford, which donated 1.5 million masks for the 2020-21 school year.
The First Lady also made a personal plea during Tuesday's press conference. "Just on a personal note," Britainy Beshear said "I beg you parents please, please mask your children. You do not want to have that conversation with a child who is sick when they are afraid and they ask if they are going to be ok. You do not want to have that conversation. Please. Mask your children. Get them vaccinated."