FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he is no hurry to reopen the state’s economy, despite the fact that Indiana to the north and Tennessee to the south are accelerating their schedules.
Beshear told reporters he does not plan to follow their lead.
He said he talks to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on a regular basis, but clearly disagreed with him.
“He's got to make the decisions for his state, and I don't want to be critical of those,” said Beshear, who then went on to compare the virus infection and death rates of the two states.
“Theirs is higher than ours,” he said.
So, as Indiana speeds up its restart, Beshear said he is sticking to his slower, more gradual pace. He said that allows him to evaluate what the virus is doing, and adjust to any spike in cases.
“I don't want to reach a place where it is open everything immediately, fully and, ‘Oh no, we got to shut it down.’”
Beshear said he is encouraged by reports of Wednesday’s first day of retail stores reopening.
“Reports back seem pretty good,” he said. “People are really working, and really trying hard and being really thoughtful about how they do it.”
Customers return to in-person shopping at Louisville's Oxmoor Center on Wednesday
But Beshear said he wants to wait at least two weeks before deciding whether and when to allow stores to expand beyond the current 33% capacity.
“A slow, gradual reopening gives us the right balance between restarting our economy and protecting lives,” he said.
Another key ingredient to opening the economy is child care. Daycare centers will be allowed to restart on June 15.
Beshear said Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander will go into more detail on the reopening rules during Thursday’s scheduled briefing.
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