Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentuckians shouldn’t go to restaurants or attend social activities in surrounding states as other governors lift coronavirus restrictions before he does.
Tennessee allowed restaurants and businesses to open in most counties this week. Indiana plans to allow social gatherings of up to 25 people starting on Monday, and will allow retail businesses to open up at 50 percent capacity.
“I would ask that if things in other states are open that aren’t open in Kentucky, that we not travel to them,” Beshear said. “We want to do this right. It’s a matter and a difference of life and death.”
Kentucky’s plan allows businesses that have been closed in the manufacturing, construction, professional services, car and boat sales, pet grooming and horse racing industries to reopen starting May 11.
Kentuckians will be allowed to gather in groups of 10 or fewer starting May 25, according to Beshear’s plan.
The governor said he is still coordinating Kentucky’s coronavirus response with a group of Midwestern states, but that individual states are setting their own reopening plans.
“Everybody is committed, to my knowledge, that if we see a spike that we pull back, because we all want to make sure that we do it the right way,” Beshear said.
He also said hundreds of people who signed up for drive-thru testing in Kentucky this week didn’t show up for their appointments.
There were at least 400 no-shows at Kroger testing sites in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Owensboro this week. Beshear said there were still 5,138 people tested at the locations, and that Kentucky needs to use as much of its testing capacity as possible.
Governor Beshear announced 177 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the state’s total to 4,879. There were eight new deaths, for a total of 248.
