FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear says the state's mask mandate will be extended by another 30 days after saying Kentucky is on track to surpass last week's 6,126 positive cases.
Gov. Beshear says the state plans to step up enforcement of the mask mandate, which includes establishments denying service to patrons if they're not wearing facial coverings.
"For our businesses, we cannot check out people who aren't wearing a mask," said Gov. Beshear. "No shoes, no shirt, no mask, no service. You can blame me for it; it'll make it a lot easier, but please, we need to take this step so that your business is not impacted on a more difficult level."
The governor says it could come down to a conversation from state inspectors with local establishments to provide stricter enforcement, but businesses could also be temporarily shut down or fined if they don't comply. Gov. Beshear emphasizes that businesses should refuse to serve people who don't wear a mask.
This comes as 1,054 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday. 144 of those new cases are kids under 18. There have been 74,194 total cases. Right now, 93 people are on ventilators. The state's positivity rate is 4.29%.
The governor says four more Kentuckians have died due to complications related to the coronavirus. He says October and November will be hard.
Gov. Beshear says the state has a 1.7% mortality rate, which is lower than the 2.8% mortality rate across the country.
The governor says he had a call with county judges and mayors on Tuesday where he told them they need to "redouble" their efforts in messaging and enforcement. Beshear told them to exhibit leadership on the ground and talked about "ordinance enforcement."
