FRANKFORT, Ky. — Before the Kentucky Supreme Court hears a challenge to Gov. Andy Beshear’s coronavirus orders, Beshear says there will be dire consequences if the orders are overturned.

“If they win, more people are going to die,” Beshear said.

A group of businesses impacted by the restrictions sued the governor this summer, claiming they were unconstitutional and hurt their bottom line. Attorney General Daniel Cameron eventually joined the challenge.

The group says Beshear’s orders go far beyond what he’s allowed to do as governor.

Beshear said he’s confident he has the authority to issue those rules.

“What this all comes down to is they just don’t like the decisions that the person who, under the constitution and Kentucky statute, has to make the decisions,” Beshear said. “I will tell you, it’s not fun being the person that makes the decisions, but I’m going to keep doing what it takes to protect human life. And if they want to sue me on that, it says something about them, not about me.”

Cameron said the governor has plenty of options to contain the coronavirus without overstepping his bounds.

“The governor’s rhetoric is irresponsible,” Cameron said. “Our Constitution leaves ample room for the governor to do what is in the best interests of Kentuckians with respect to COVID-19 without violating their Constitutional rights by enforcing arbitrary and overly broad executive orders. This includes working with the General Assembly to enact laws that appropriately respond to the current health crisis, which he has refused to do.”

The Kentucky Supreme Court will ultimately decide the fate of several different orders, including restrictions on the class sizes of child care facilities, rules allowing schools to implement virtual learning, capacity sizes on bars and restaurants, and the mask mandate.