As of Tuesday afternoon, 28 additional cases of COVID-19 and six new deaths have been identified in Northern Kentucky, for 448 total cases and 34 deaths. There are 225 cases in Kenton County, 83 cases in Campbell County, 121 cases in Boone County and 19 cases in Grant County.
At his daily briefing, Gov. Andy Beshear reported 230 new cases and 12 new deaths, for 4,375 cases and 225 deaths.
One of the deaths was Lillian Press, 95, widow of Len Press, long-time head of Kentucky Educational television. Lillian Press organized and directed the Governor’s Scholarship Program. She died out of state Sunday night and was a personal friend of the governor’s.
The Governor said, “That’s a lot of Kentuckians to lose in a day, even to something this deadly.” He urged everyone to light up houses and business with green lights, the color of compassion and renewal.
The Governor unveiled a new, 10-point plan that aims to guide businesses as they prepare for a gradual reopening while continuing to keep all workers and patrons safe. He said the guidelines apply to most employers.
“There are things that are similar to all businesses. These are things that are in the White House’s plan for reopening. And just like we talk about 10 steps for defeating the coronavirus, I want to talk about 10 steps for Healthy at Work,” Gov. Beshear said.
This week, Kentucky began the phased reopening of health care services as the first step under Gov. Beshear’s Healthy at Work initiative, which set out public health benchmarks for reopening Kentucky’s economy. These benchmarks closely follow the White House’s Guidelines for Reopening America.
The 10 rules to reopening a business under the Healthy at Work plan are:
• Continue telework where possible
• Phased return to work
• Onsite temperature/health checks
• Universal masks and other necessary PPE
• Close common areas
• Enforce social distancing
• Limit face-to-face meetings
• Sanitizer/hand wash stations
• Special accommodations
• Testing plan
The NKY Health Department says as plans are made to reopen businesses in Kentucky, people need to start thinking about how they will continue to stay safe as they go out in public. The first step will be asking yourself if the trip is necessary.
If so, be prepared for the trip – bring your face mask to wear in public, plan on staying six feet away from others, keep your hands away from your face, and when you return home, wash your hands for 20 seconds. It is important to recognize that cases of COVID-19 continue to be identified in Northern Kentucky.
According to Dr. Lynne Saddler, District Director of Health, “Most of us are doing a good job of staying at home and social distancing, and we can tell that it has been working. In order to continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in the absence of an approved treatment or vaccine, avoid unnecessary trips. If you must go out, be prepared. Otherwise, stay healthy at home.”
For more data on COVID-19 infections in Northern Kentucky, click here.