Kentuckians going out in public will have to wear a mask

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

According to the state COVID-19 dashboard, Kentucky's COVID-19 totals for Monday are 4,146 cases and 213 total deaths. Sunday's update was 4,074 cases and 208 deaths.

Governor Beshear said the state's five deaths Monday were reported in Fayette, Hopkins (2), Jefferson, and one in Jefferson that is being called a probable death.

Monday's 87 new cases are in Jefferson, Warren, Graves, Campbell, Hopkins, Kenton, Boone, Bullitt, Daviess, Edmonson, Hardin, Henderson, Marshall, Meade, Allen, Barren, Carlisle, Christian, Fayette, Knox, Marion, McCracken and Pendleton counties.

Governor Beshear announced that everybody going out in public will have to start wearing a mask by May 11. He says it's just another small sacrifice to keep others safe.

It's going to look strange, and it's going to look very different to us, but I want to keep us as safe as possible," Gov. Beshear said. “You don’t need a surgical mask, you will need a cloth mask, until we get a vaccine this is going to be our new normal.”

Gov. Beshear says people who don't wear masks starting May 11 will not be cited, but they will be asked to put on masks.

"As we reopen things, COVID-19 hasn't gone anywhere," Emergency Physician Dr. Ryan Stanton said. "The cloth mask really isn't to protect you as much as it is to protect the other people around you, but in combination if we're all wearing masks, we all do protect each other."

For businesses, though, it's mandatory. The governor says businesses not masking could be grounds for temporary closure.

Abell Eyes is a business that was included in the first phase of reopening healthcare services. They have resumed non-emergent appointments with the new guidelines.

"Every staff member and every patient must have a mask at all times," Dr. Tom Abell said.

While they're able to provide a mask for any patient that doesn't have one, that may be more difficult for larger businesses who have more customers in and out like Walmart. Right now, they are encouraging customers to wear masks but not requiring it or providing them.

While some people agree with the directive, others think there are some problems with the "new normal."

"I suppose in a big city like this it's better safe than sorry," one woman said.

"Are they going to provide masks for everybody," another woman asked. "I mean, if they are requiring it, I feel like they should be providing them as well."

Monday, the governor also gave an update on the sate's unemployment situation. He says 150,000 unemployment claims, paying $74 million, that were being held up for whatever reason are going out now. Beshear says he has committed that everyone who applied in March will be taken care of this week.

Gov. Beshear says someone here in Kentucky applied for unemployment benefits for

, an example of one thing that causes delays.

"One person, who thought they were funny, is going to make tens of thousands of other people wait. Not OK. We can't be doing that," the governor said.

Dr. Steven Stack, the commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Public Health, also spoke more Monday about the phased plan for reopening more health care services.

. Phase II begins on May 6. It allows outpatient/ambulatory surgery and invasive procedures to resume. Phase III of the healthcare reopening begins May 13. Non-emergent/non-urgent in-patient procedures may resume at 50% of pre-COVID shutdown volume. Phase IV, beginning May 27, allows those procedures above to resume at a volume determined by each facility.

"I urge you, I urge you to not become complacent," Dr. Stack said. "Just because the disease right now seems to be at a plateau, it is not time to feel that you are safe. It's not time to feel that this is not a serious threat. This is exactly the time when we are at risk for the greatest harm if people start to get lax about complying with the things we ask you to do."