Beshear goes over benchmarks for Trump's plan to reopen states

Gov. Andy Beshear held his daily news conference to give updates on Kentucky's COVID-19 situation.

According to the governor, the number of cases on Friday is now at 2,522 with 137 total deaths. Thursday's update was 2,429 cases and 129 total deaths.

Friday's eight new coronavirus-related deaths are from Jefferson (4), Russell (2), Graves and Muhlenberg counties. The governor says a 49-year-old prison inmate at the Green River Correctional Complex was the person who passed away in Muhlenberg County.

The governor says Friday's 134 new cases are less than he expected. He also gave good news about the baby in Lincoln County who tested positive for COVID-19. Beshear says the now 11-day-old baby is home from the hospital and is doing okay.

The new cases are in Butler, Kenton, Hopkins, Boone, Jackson, Christian, Warren, Graves, Jefferson, Boyd, Campbell, Daviess, Fayette, Grayson, Hardin, Harrison, Muhlenberg, Allen, Boyle, Breckinridge, Caldwell, Calloway, Franklin, Grant, Hancock, Jessamine, Knott, Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lincoln, Marion, Mercer, Oldham, Pendleton, Pulaski, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, Simpson, Trimble, Webster and Whitley counties.

During Friday's news conference, Dr. Stack and Gov. Beshear also went through

"I don't know what the rhetoric is going to be...but the actual contents of this document have a lot of what we were actually looking at," Gov. Beshear said.

Gov. Beshear says the requirement for the president's plan to begin reopening the state is a decrease in cases over 14 days. Dr. Stack says a 14-day downward slope is a significant hurdle, and even though our numbers are some of the best state numbers in the country trend-wise, at best we're at a flat plateau, he says.

The governor says we need to see a decrease in patients that are not being seen in extra health care facilities such as hotels, state parks or field hospitals. They also said testing needs fo be increased.

Gov. Beshear also says getting a call that you need to self-isolate after being in contact with someone positive for COVID-19 will be "part of our new normal" until a vaccine is developed. Dr. Stack says a vaccine won't be ready until 2021 at the earliest.

The governor says employers have to be ready every day to provide temperature checks to your workers. He says employers have to make sure symptomatic workers aren't spreading the virus. The governor says asymptomatic workers will remain a problem.

"If you are a business that can survive on telework, you ought to continue doing it," Gov. Beshear said.

The governor also says employers need to eliminate common areas in the workplace.

Gov. Beshear says during this we have to be fluid, flexible and willing to make adjustments.