LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some Kentucky businesses, including restaurants and bars, will be allowed a 10% boost to indoor capacity starting Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear said.
The following entities will be allowed to expand to 60% capacity on March 5, according to the governor:
- Restaurants and bars
- Retail
- Indoor education and cultural activities
- Fitness centers
- Government offices/agencies
- Office-based businesses
- Barbershops, hair salons, cosmetology
- Funeral and memorial services
- Movie theaters
- Nail salons
- Tanning salons
- Tattoo parlors
- Indoor auctions
- Bowling alleys
- Vehicle and vessel dealerships
- Massage therapy
The 10% boost is only allowed if businesses can achieve it while enforcing social distancing guidelines, Beshear said. The state's mask mandate must continue to be enforced.
"We cannot stop doing the things that we know that tamps down this virus," he said. "If we do and the cases go up, we have to be prepared to take the opposite step that we are taking today, and I won't be hesitant about doing so."
Pictured: a sign outside restaurant in Louisville, Ky., indicating that masks are required for entry. (WDRB file photo)
The added capacity will end a stretch of two and a half months of operating at 50% for Kentucky's restaurants and bars. However, many owners of those establishments have told WDRB News over the past several months that they need to operate at 75% or full capacity to keep turning a profit.
After the governor's announcement Monday, the owner of Dundee Tavern in the Highlands, Alan Hincks, said many restaurant and bar owners are more focused on pushing back the state's last-call curfew.
Currently, last call is at 11 p.m., and bars and restaurants must close by midnight.
"We were hoping to go to at least 2 a.m. for those of us who have licenses," Hincks said. "Even not full right now — we get that — but at least until 2 a.m.; that is where the majority of the business is at."
Dundee Tavern in Louisville, Ky. (WDRB file photo)
The state also plans on increasing capacity at child care facilities to "regular group size" on March 15, the governor said. Staff at those facilities became eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19 on Feb. 15.
"It's delayed a couple of weeks to give extra time for (child care workers) to get vaccinated," Beshear said.
Beshear delivers 'most optimistic' COVID-19 report since pandemic began
In "the most optimistic report" since COVID-19 first arrived in Kentucky nearly a year ago, Beshear said health officials confirmed 509 new cases Monday in the Bluegrass State, its lowest single-day caseload since Sept. 28.
Kentucky's positivity rate, which measures the proportion of COVID-19 tests returning positive, also dropped from 5.02% on Sunday to 4.84% on Monday — the lowest it has been since Oct. 18. That also means Kentucky as of Monday meets the World Health Organization's recommended threshold of 5% or lower for states to reopen.
After testing numbers dipped the past few weeks due to winter weather that kept many off the roads, Beshear was encouraged the positivity rate has continued to decline as more tests are being conducted.
"That shows very clearly we are on a downward trajectory," he said.
The dome of the Kentucky state Capitol is lit green to remember those who have died of COVID-19 and their families.
According to the state's vaccination dashboard, 699,398 Kentuckians as of Monday had received the first dose of the two-shot coronavirus immunization.
With Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine becoming the third to get emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the weekend, Beshear said the state hopes to receive roughly 700,000 vaccine doses over the next 30 days. That means Kentucky's current vaccination totals could double by the time April rolls around.
"We believe, especially after we hope 700,000 people vaccinated in March, that we can do even better in April," Beshear said.
Since Feb. 23, Kentucky's vaccination dashboard shows the state has administered the first dose to nearly 100,800 residents — a new weekly record.
Beshear announced 15 new deaths Monday in which COVID-19 was a contributing factor. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the coronavirus has been a factor in the deaths of 4,652 Kentuckians.
As of Monday, 719 Kentuckians were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to state health officials, while 180 were being treated for the virus in intensive care units. More than 80 patients were on ventilators.
For most people, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. The vast majority of people recover. Of Kentucky's 405,126 confirmed cases reported since March, at least 47,592 have recovered, according to Kentucky Public Health.
But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.
To find a COVID-19 testing location near you, click here. To find out if you're eligible for a vaccine and for more information on Kentucky's vaccination process, click here.
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