FRANKFORT, Ky. — Continually rising coronavirus cases in every county in Kentucky has Gov. Andy Beshear (D) issuing new restrictions. 

Beshear said, "It is time for Kentucky's third attack against the coronavirus. There will not be a shutdown. Our economy is open. These are significant, surgical, and targeted steps to slow the virus ."

The new restrictions begin at 5 p.m. (EST) Fri., Nov. 20 and will run through 11:59 pm (EST) Sun., Dec. 13. The restrictions are:

Private gatherings will be limited to your current household and one other household and gathering should be limited to eight people The governor stressed a household is anyone currently living with you.

Events — including weddings and funerals — at indoor facilities, theaters, and other venues will be limited to 25 people per room.

Bars and restaurants will be closed to indoor dining beginning Friday at 5 p.m. Outdoor dining, take-out, and delivery options will remain open. Beshear said he knows this is tough because many bars and restaurants are small businesses.  

He announced $40 million in CARES Act funding will provide qualifying businesses  $10,000 in relief for various expenses, with a maximum award of $20,000 per business. Businesses with at least 50% of their sales via drive-through will not be eligible. To focus on locally owned businesses, publicly traded companies are not eligible to apply. Applications are scheduled to open on Nov. 30 and close on Dec. 18. Businesses will be required to remain in compliance with all public health orders. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, and funds will be awarded until they are exhausted. 

Gyms, fitness centers, and pools are facing changes. Group classes are not allowed.  Visitors must maintain the 6 ft. spacing rule and masks must be required.  The facilities will be held at a 33% occupancy. 

Beginning Mon., Nov. 23, all public and private schools (K-12) will be virtual-only. In-person classes are prohibited. Middle and high schools will continue with remote instruction until Jan. 4, 2021.  Elementary schools can reopen on Dec. 7 if their county is not in the red zone and the school follows all healthy at school guidelines.

Beshear said, "I don't take this lightly. I know it will cause more harm, but we can't let this third wave take more lives. We owe more to our seniors. We owe more to those who are immuno-compromised. We owe more to each other."

Beshear said he and Dr. Steven Stack, public health commissioner, spoke with legislators today about the announcement.  House Speaker David Osborne (R) issued a statement about the governor's meeting saying, "Today’s meeting was not a consultation nor did the Governor seek any input from legislative leaders. While the 20-minute presentation by Dr. Stack was informative, the Governor answered questions for less than ten minutes and failed to provide any contact tracing based data on where cases are spreading in Kentucky. He must be prepared to directly answer the same questions we face from our constituents every single day. While we take this virus seriously, we will not be cover for his unilateral decision-making. Working with the legislature means more than calling us an hour before making his pre-determined edicts public. This kind of move is not leadership, it’s misleading.”

Kentucky's Senate president, Robert Stivers (R) echoed the sentiments of Osborne in his written statement which read, "“This is the first time in eight months that the Governor has briefed us, and make no mistake, it was a briefing not a collaboration. The decisions today, made solely by the Governor, were to limit and restrict many businesses that may not survive based on what was proposed. We have not been shown any data that would draw a rational basis to limit Thanksgiving in your home to eight people when you can go to a private venue with twenty-five people. Nor were we presented any data that justifies a blanket policy to close public and private schools, especially when we are seeing the loss of a year of educational opportunities and destructive effects to the mental health of our youth. Kentucky is in a crisis, this is real, and the Governor needs to start consulting with us for the sake of the Commonwealth."

There were 2,753 new positive coronavirus cases in Kentucky Wednesday, making it the fourth highest day for cases.  15 people died bringing the state's death total to 1,712. The positivity rate rose as well it is now at 9.13%

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