FRANKFORT, Ky. — It's now official: state lawmakers will return to Frankfort on Tuesday to address the continued surge of COVID-19 in Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear called the special session in an announcement Saturday afternoon.

The special session will begin in Frankfort at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021.

As COVID-19 cases increase at the fastest growth rate of the pandemic, straining Kentucky hospitals, Gov. Andy Beshear hopes to extend the pandemic state of emergency, which provides administration and public health officials with the tools and measures needed to slow the spread of COVID-19

Following a recent Kentucky Supreme Court ruling, Beshear is unable to extend the state of emergency through his own means, so working together with the General Assembly through a special session is required.

“This is one of the most dangerous times we’ve experienced this entire pandemic, with the delta variant burning through Kentucky and taking more of our loved ones and neighbors. It’s also overwhelming more and more of our hospitals and shutting down our schools,” Beshear said. “We need as many tools as possible to fight this deadly surge in order to save lives, keep our children in school and keep our economy churning.”

Beshear is asking lawmakers to consider legislation to address several topics including:

• Extending the state of emergency until Jan. 15, 2022;
• Setting forth the criteria regarding the Governor’s authority to require facial coverings in indoor settings in certain circumstances;
• Providing additional flexibility for school districts, and;
• Making an appropriation from the American Rescue Plan Act to support mitigation and prevention activities, such as testing and vaccine distribution

While in Frankfort, lawmakers could also extend the state of emergency declared by Beshear in response to the flash flooding in Nicholas County and the City of Carlisle, on Aug. 3, 2021.

More than 7,840 Kentuckians have died from COVID-19 during the last 18 months, with case numbers spiking now because of the delta variant. In the last two days alone, the state logged 69 deaths, one of whom was just 27 years old. Kentucky is fast approaching nearly 600,000 COVID-19 cases during the almost 18 months of the pandemic.