We are going to start posting the updates from Governor Beshear as a service to our readers, along with the full video of the press conference. The bullets come from the KY Health News site, and the video is straight from YouTube.
This is the afternoon presser for 2020/03/16. Starting tomorrow, there will only be one update, every afternoon at 5 PM.
Summary Bullets from KY Health News (original post)
- Gov. Andy Beshear said childcare centers in Kentucky will need to close by end of business day on Friday; exceptions will be made for healthcare workers’ children.
- Under the direction of the Secretary of State Michael Adams, Beshear said the May 19 statewide primary elections, as well as any special and local elections that were to be held on that day, would be delayed until June 23.
- Leaders of the General Assembly announced today that the 2020 regular legislative session will continue as scheduled, but will be limited to elected members, staff and LRC-credentialed media, and specifically-approved individuals. Click here for a list of ways the public can stay connected to the General Assembly.
- The federal government recommended that Americans avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, and avoid discretionary travel, for the next 15 days, after which the recommendations will be reassessed.
- Beshear said today he will order closure of bars and restaurants, with some exceptions for delivery and drive-through, probably effective at 5 p.m. He said later in the day that take-out orders are allowed if they are done in such a way that allows for social distancing.
- Acknowledging that the move will cost some people their jobs, Beshear said the waiting period and work-search requirements for unemployment benefits would be waived.
- Beshear said that he had applied for disaster assistance through the Small Business Administration, which allows individuals to seek loans to alleviate economic injury caused by the coronavirus.
- The governor encouraged Kentuckians to order takeout and delivery to support the restaurant industry, and said his family would do so three times a week. The Lexington Herald-Leader did a quick reaction story.
- Beshear announced that a 66-year-old man from Bourbon County with COVID-19 has died at Baptist Health Lexington. He said the disease was only one factor, but the man will be counted as the first Kentucky death from the disease.
- He said one reason the state is taking aggressive steps is that it has so many people with underlying medical conditions, such as heart, lung or kidney disease, that make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Diabetes is also one of those conditions.
- Smoking is probably another. “Experts note that damage to the lungs from pollutants that result from combustion — whether inhaled deliberately by smokers, or inadvertently by those in regions with poor air quality — may increase the risk of respiratory tract infections from viruses such as the novel coronavirus,” reports Chris Mooney of The Washington Post. “Poor air can also cause lung inflammation that could worsen the symptoms of COVID-19.”
- Beshear said it remains unclear when large-scale testing will be available in Kentucky; he said each time the state has received a timeline, it has been extended.
- He said state government will try to stop all in-person services, will close the Capitol to nonessential personnel beginning Tuesday, and will extend drivers’ licenses for 90 days.
- The aim of the emergency restrictions is to “flatten the curve” of the outbreak to keep the health-care system from being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this morning, “I don’t believe we’re going to flatten the curve to meet the capacity of the health-care system” in his state and the three-state New York City area, so state and local officials will look for facilities that can be converted into temporary hospitals, but “We need federal assistance. . . . No state can do it.”
- At least one curve is flattening. State-by-state data on Google searches for “coronavirus,” which strongly reflected states’ degree of support for President Trump in 2016, have shown less difference in the last five days, University of California professor Michael Tesler writes for The Washington Post.
- Beshear spoke at length about the anxiety many Kentuckians are feeling about the coronavirus and the changes it has caused in their lives. He urged everyone to make sure they were taking time for self-care, whether that be taking a walk, exercising or simply turning off the 24-hour news cycle and watching something for pleasure.
- Mental Health America reports that it has had more than 1,000 “excess severe anxiety” results associated with the coronavirus on its free, anonymous mental health screening at www.mhascreening.org. “Severe anxiety is a significant health concern and it cannot be dismissed simply as ‘worry’ that will pass on its own. Severe anxiety is a clinical condition that should trigger prompt and professional treatment and support,” Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO of MHA said in the release,
- Beshear called on Kentuckians to share the good things they are doing to decrease the spread of the virus through social media hashtags: #TeamKentucky and #TogetherKy.
- Kentucky has another positive case, a 34-year-old female from Jefferson County. So far, the state has 22 positive cases.
- Kentucky’s Emergency Operation’s Center has been elevated to a Level 3. Beshear said this allows the state to have access to additional resources to do things like setting up mobile testing centers as soon as the test become available.
- Beshear once again encouraged funerals to be limited to small, family gatherings.
- Beshear said both hospitals and dental offices need to stop all elective procedures on Wednesday.
- Beshear encouraged malls and movie establishments to take precautions to protect Kentuckians from the coronavirus and warned that a lack of self-regulation “forces us to take steps.”
- U.S. Rep. Andy Barr reported that two truckloads of Personal Protective Equipment were being delivered to Kentucky, which includes items such as masks, gloves, gowns and other critical protective supplies.
Video of 3/16/20 PM Press Conference
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