LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The number of COVID-19 cases continues to drop in Kentucky.
"Yes, cases are falling nearly as quickly as they rose in this omicron surge," Gov. Andy Beshear said during a COVID-19 briefing on Monday. "What we really want to see is this continue to fall."
With new guidance, Beshear said starting Tuesday, many state employees will no longer be required to wear a mask. That includes those working in executive branch buildings, offices and even state vehicles with multiple people inside.
"To our state employees, thank you. Thank you for holding on this long and thank you for your success," Beshear said. "Thanks to your willingness to do this, we didn't have one major omicron outbreak that required us to stop providing a service for any period of time during the most contagious virus we've seen in my lifetime."
Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and Department for Public Health Commissioner @StevenStackMD discussed Friday’s updated guidance and data from the @CDCgov and provided information on living as safely as possible with COVID.Read more: https://t.co/cGo3ebgPgT pic.twitter.com/fuBa0LfOB5
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) February 28, 2022
The requirement will remain in place for congregate care facilities, like Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs nursing homes, the Department of Corrections and immediate care facilities.
Beshear said fewer than 1,000 Kentuckians are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. The state's positivity rate has also continued to drop, and is now at 8.56%. Beshear said he expects the National Guard will not be needed in Kentucky hospitals within the next two weeks.
State health data on Monday shows 671 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Kentucky, with 34 additional deaths related to the virus. Data also shows 962 Kentuckians in a hospital with COVID-19, with 203 in an intensive care unit and 112 on a ventilator.
To date, 1,277,352 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Kentucky, and 13,856 people have died.
For a breakdown of Kentucky's current COVID-19 cases, click here. For information about getting tested for COVID-19 in Kentucky, click here. For information about vaccines, click here.
Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
