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Kentucky Reactivates Surge Preparations As COVID Numbers Climb

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

With Kentucky's coronavirus indicators again on the rise, health officials are prepping for a surge that has the potential to overrun hospitals.

Citing numbers he described as "grim," Gov. Andy Beshear signaled Tuesday that the state is reinstituting plans it put together during the state's initial escalation of cases.

"We are now going back to our plans about capacity in hospitals, looking if we have to at hotel options, the use of state parks, and ensuring that we have the operational plans to stand up the field hospital if necessary," he reported.

The precautions come as the commonwealth recorded a day of new cases over 1,300, rising hospitalizations, and a positivity rate back above 5 percent.

While the governor sounded increasingly alarmed by the upticks, he did not announce lockdowns like those implemented earlier this year. Enforcement alone, he warned, can't roll back the numbers.

"It's got to be through encouragement," Beshear said. "Yes, we're going to be out there doing enforcement, but we're never going to have enough people out there to get truly the amount of people doing the right things we need."

For now, Beshear is urging individuals, businesses, schools, and other organizations to double down on efforts to control the virus through the steps already laid out.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.
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