Beshear On Mask Critics: None Have Acknowledged 'How Quickly This Is Spreading'

WUKY | By Josh James

Published August 12, 2021 at 3:41 PM EDT

In this June 10, 2021 file photo, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during a news conference after the Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases challenging the governor's ability to issue emergency declarations in Frankfort, Ky. Beshear issued his mask order Tuesday, Aug. 11, as many Kentucky schools start the new academic year.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says opponents of his recent mask mandate in schools are not taking into account the gravity of the renewed COVID-19 surge — or worrying signs that younger people are more susceptible.

Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron says his Kentucky Supreme Court filing challenging the governor's new mask requirementisn't about impugning the Democrat's motives—it's about ensuring he follows the rules. Those rules include new General Assembly-approved laws requiring the governor to consult with the legislature ahead of such decisions.

But Beshear has pushed back on the changes, and the high court has yet to weigh in. In the meantime, the governor says detractors should take a closer look at the data.

"Those that have been critical of steps, and the right steps, that I had to take earlier this week, none of them have acknowledged how quickly this is spreading and... that we have more cases in children," the governor said during his Thursday briefing. "We have more admissions of kids, more kids in the ICU than ever before."

The state Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the governor's virus-related emergency orders were constitutional.