FRANKFORT, Ky. — Even with expanded testing, the rate of new coronavirus cases in Kentucky is declining.

What You Need To Know


  • Kentucky Kingdom to open week of June 29

  • Public pools also to open around June 29

  • Kentucky state parks reopen early June

Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday this means more things will reopen, including Kentucky Kingdom the week of June 29.

"It will look very different," Beshear said. "It is a very extensive proposal. We appreciate the operators working on that with us."

Beshear said the decision to reopen is based on a 300-page plan the business submitted, enforcing strict social distancing and sanitizing measures, along with capacity limits.

Beshear said public pools will also come back around June 29, though specific rules have not yet been developed.

"By that point, there will be very limited capacity, and we will have to ensure that we can meet social distancing guidelines," Beshear said.

Kentucky state parks will come back a bit sooner.

Resorts at Lake Cumberland, Lake Barkley, Blue Licks Battlefield and Buckhorn Lake were going to be used for COVID-19 patients, but Beshear said that’s not the plan anymore.

Those parks will come back June 8 with new limits on capacity.

"We’re going to monitor that very carefully," Beshear said. "We’re going to look at our bookings. We’re going to make sure that we don’t have the density that’s there. And then we’re going to police social distancing."

Beshear changed gears just a day after saying he planned on using the parks for coronavirus patients.

He said the declining number of cases and available beds at nearby hospitals makes the situation look better now.

"What we do is we follow the science, we listen to the public health, and we make the best decisions that we can," Beshear said.

The Governor said the virus will ultimately determine what happens next, though.