Governor renews statewide mask mandate as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – On Wednesday, Governor Andy Beshear issued an executive order to renew the state’s face coverings mandate for another 30-days.

He also signed an executive order extending previous orders allowing pharmacists to dispense 30-day refills.

Governor Beshear urged Kentuckians to renew the fight against COVID-19 as case numbers continue to surge across the state.

On Wednesday, the governor reported 1,635 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 113,009 since the pandemic hit in March.

The governor also reported 11 new deaths, bringing Kentucky’s death toll to 1,514 since the initial outbreak in the spring.  The latest lost to the virus include two women, ages 79-and-96, from Hancock County; three women, ages 60, 81-and-89, and four men, ages 59, 71, 72-and-72, from Jefferson County; an 82-year old woman from Knott County; and a 91-year old woman from McLean County, according to the governor.

The state’s positivity rate was 6.3%, according to the governor’s report.

As of Wednesday, there were 1,066 people in the hospital fighting the coronavirus, 286 in intensive care and 125 on a ventilator, according to the governor.

“One of the concerns we have related to hospitals is not that we will first run out of bed space, but that we may not have enough health care workers to staff all those beds,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Public Health.

To view this week’s Red Zone counties, click here.

For testing locations, long-term care and other congregate facilities update, school reports, the White House Coronavirus Task Force reports for Kentucky and other key guidance, click here.