Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday updated Kentuckians on the commonwealth’s ongoing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
“Since we first started fighting this virus nearly four months ago, Kentuckians have risen to the challenge,” said Gov. Beshear. “We still have a long way to go, but our progress shows the enormous strength and resilience of our people.”
He also reminded Kentuckians that on Friday, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack warned Kentuckians that air quality in the state may be poor this weekend and into next week. An enormous cloud of dry and dusty air that originated over the Sahara Desert will move across the southern United States over the next three to seven days.
“We absolutely need to be cautious this weekend and next week, monitor the air quality index in our area, and if needed, limit our time outside,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’ve already shown that we can come together to fight a global pandemic for months, so I know we can take the steps needed to protect ourselves and our loved ones over one week.”
As of 4 p.m. June 27, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 15,167 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 316 of which were newly reported Saturday.
“This virus is not going away yet,” said Gov. Beshear. “We see numbers spiking in states all across the country. We need to be vigilant so that doesn’t happen here in Kentucky.”
Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported one new death Saturday, raising the total to 554 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The death reported Saturday was 78-year-old woman from Fayette County.
“Today, we are grieving with this woman’s family,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is another life gone too soon, after we’ve lost far too many already. We must continue to take the steps to protect each other.”
As of Saturday, there have been at least 391,765 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,730 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
(provided by the Office of the Governor of Kentucky)
