FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gov. Andy Beshear reported three more deaths related to the new coronavirus Friday as Kentucky had its largest single-day increase in cases since the global pandemic hit the state.
The 54 new cases were up slightly from the previous day, which Beshear called a good sign.
“In other places, the numbers of cases are growing much more significantly each day,” he said during his daily briefing. “Now we expect the cases to elevate.”
Kentucky’s total has surpassed 300 coronavirus cases.
The latest virus-connected deaths in Kentucky involved a 75-year-old woman in Fayette County, a 77-year-old man in Hopkins County and a 73-year-old woman from Jefferson County, Beshear said. It’s the first time Kentucky has reported multiple deaths in one day from the virus, he said.
That raised Kentucky’s coronavirus-related toll to eight dead since the pandemic began.
Beshear took time to speak to Kentuckians who live near the Tennessee line, suggesting that states with looser restrictions could cause new cases in the Bluegrass State.
“If you are a Kentuckian living on that border, I need you to not go to Tennessee for anything other than work or helping a loved one or maybe the grocery, if it is there closer,” he said.
Beshear noted that Kentucky has taken aggressive steps to limit the spread of the virus, such as shutting down bars and restaurants to dine-in services and temporarily closing such businesses as theaters, gyms and hair salons. He said “our neighbors from the south, in many instances, have not.”
“If you ultimately go down over that border and go to a restaurant or something that’s not open in Kentucky, what you do is you bring back the coronavirus here in Kentucky,” he said. “And again the sacrifice that the people inside your county are making, ultimately you don’t honor by doing that.”
In recent days, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered the closure of Tennessee gyms; restricted restaurants and bars to drive-thru, delivery and takeout only; and barred gatherings of more than 10 people.
Beshear stressed the social-distancing guidelines needed to contain the virus’s spread.
“We know that we haven’t quite seen the surge that is coming, and so let’s dig in,” he said. “Let’s make sure that we are decreasing our contacts.”
Fort Knox reported its first case of the virus on Friday. A civilian employee who doesn’t live on post tested positive. Fort Campbell recorded its first case earlier this week.
In another coronavirus-related development, Kentucky’s attorney general said that abortions in the state should cease as part of the governor’s order halting elective medical procedures because of the pandemic.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron called on the state’s acting health and family services secretary to certify that abortion providers are violating the ban by continuing to perform the procedure. The certification would trigger action by the attorney general’s office to stop elective procedures during the pandemic, Cameron said in a statement.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky accused Cameron of trying to take advantage of a public health crisis to push an anti-abortion agenda.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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Jonathan Mattise contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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