Kentucky’s weeks-long escalation in COVID-19 cases continued Friday with 1,059 new cases.
Gov. Andy Beshear said another day with more than 1,000 cases means the state will likely break its record for weekly cases for a third straight week. Last week’s more than 6,000 cases topped the previous high that was just one week prior.
“We continue to be in another escalation of COVID-19 cases here in Kentucky,” he said. “This is the highest Friday in the last four weeks, and this will be our highest week ever when we finish it for number of new COVID-19 cases.”
Despite the uptick in cases over the past three weeks, Beshear has been hesitant to implement new restrictions. He previously said that if the increase in spread isn’t put to an end in the next couple of weeks, the state will be forced to consider capacity changes at businesses.
For now, Beshear said citizens need to better adhere to state-mandated precautions like masking and social distancing in order to prevent spread.
“These are just far too many cases,” he said. “We have to do better. Folks, we really need you to wear your mask. We’ve talked a lot about enforcement this week, but the best enforcement is you, making sure that you and your family are wearing them every time you go out. If everybody takes on that enforcement, we will stop this third escalation.”
The new cases bring Kentucky’s total to nearly 78,500. Earlier this week, hospitalization numbers also increased, with 72 new hospitalizations in the three days leading up to Wednesday.
Eight new deaths were reported Friday, bringing the state’s total to 1,242.
“We continue to see higher months of cases and higher months of deaths,” Beshear said. “We need your help. Be a good part of Team Kentucky.”
The positivity rate sits at 4.32%. At least 13,417 people in Kentucky have recovered.
