Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is joining a growing chorus of critics questioning disputed new COVID-19 testing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
Addressing revised guidelines from the agency, which now downplay testing for asymptomatic people who have been exposed to COVID positive individuals, Beshear had an unusually blunt assessment.
"That's reckless. It contradicts everything that we know and have learned about this virus. It is inexplicable," he stated. "In Kentucky, we're going to still continue to do the right thing. I believe the CDC is going to change that new guidance."
The Democratic governor has avoided critiques of the White House's overall response to the pandemic, instead making a point of including the administration's data when arguing for new statewide coronavirus rules. Pressed for comment on media reports that the CDC's about face on testing came after pressure from the top ranks of the Trump administration, Beshear said he wasn't going to "speculate on the why."
President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued the country's unflattering COVID-19 numbers are due to the amount of testing, a position that's put him at odds with the nation's top health officials.
Beshear and state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack are counseling Kentuckians to stick with the state's current guidance and get tested in the event of a high-risk exposure.
