As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Kentucky will restrict visits to long-term care facilities because of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Of Kentucky’s 120 counties, 103 are now in the “Red Zone” of critical spread, with more than 25 cases per 100,000 people.
Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said long-term care facilities will impose new restrictions, including limits on communal dining, group activities, and holiday visits.
“If somebody leaves the facility and comes back in, we are going to ask them to quarantine,” Friedlander said. “And we’re asking you, please, think about sacrificing getting together for the holidays, so we’re not sacrificing our parents and our grandparents.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed 1,514 new cases Monday, making it the second-highest Monday on record.
Gov. Beshear warned that further restrictions on businesses could come later this week. He said those restrictions won’t be similar to those announced in the spring. Hospitalizations on Monday climbed to 1,442. Three new deaths were also reported Monday.
A new outbreak at a correctional facility in Lee County has infected more than 434 inmates.
Secretary of the Executive Cabinet J. Michael Brown said the Lee Adjustment Center has not completed testing.
“Our fear is frankly that we haven’t completely finished testing the facility,” Brown said. “That facility houses over 700 inmates, so we already know that more than half of them have tested positive for COVID.”
