KENTUCKY — As part of Kentucky’s gradual reopening, some retailers will welcome back customers at one-third capacity and with several health and safety restrictions May 20. 

 

What You Need To Know


  • Retail businesses can now operate at 33 percent capacity.

  • Employees will follow guidelines such as  wearing masks and limiting customer contact. 

  • Restaurants and other businesses are set to open in the next week.

This marks another phase of Kentucky’s larger reopening plan led by Gov. Andy Beshear (D), who ordered non-essential retail businesses to close in March. 

“So our goal here isn’t to scare people, although, I mean, it’s a scary time,” said Beshear. “[Our goal is] to make sure that we give the best guidance we can because none of you want the first time we get together to lead to health complications for anybody.”

In addition to keeping capacity at 33 percent, the new guidelines include establishing floor markers to keep customers six feet apart, ensuring employees wear face masks, limiting contact with customers and closing off public areas. 

Masks, according to Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack, are especially vital.

“I don’t like wearing a mask in public anymore than anyone else does,” said Stack. “It is something we choose to do because it’s what we need to do to keep ourselves and to keep the people we love and to keep the others around us safe.”

Retailers just one of several other businesses set to reopen in the coming weeks. Restaurants will also open at 33 percent capacity May 22 while barber shops and hair salons will open May 25. 

Beshear also announced another set of businesses allowed to reopen come June 8, including museums, outdoor attractions, libraries and distilleries. 

“You’ll remember one of the reasons we took the drastic steps that every state took was concern that it would overwhelm our health care capacity, and it would have if we didn’t take those steps,” said Beshear. “And one of the reasons that we’re doing our reopening gradually is to make sure that we don’t hit a stage where we’re overwhelming any of that capacity.”