Kentucky to end all COVID-19 capacity restrictions

(The Center Square) – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday all capacity restrictions for establishments tied to the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted June 11.

The state’s mask mandate also will end on the same date for all Kentuckians – including those not vaccinated – with a few exceptions.

“Our war has been long,” Behsear said to start his press conference. “Our casualties have been heartbreaking, but victory is in sight and the end is near.”

About 1.9 million Kentuckians have received at least one dose of an approved vaccine, and with children ages 12 to 15 approved to receive it this week, Beshear said the time was right to lift the emergency guidelines.

And he continued to encourage those who have not been vaccinated to still get one.

“After a long, dark pandemic, more of our people have gotten their shot of hope, and we have steadily moved to lift the last remaining restrictions put in place to slow the spread of this dangerous virus and save lives,” he said.

On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines that allow vaccinated individuals to go maskless outdoors and most places indoors.

Beshear said he refrained from instantly easing restrictions because he wanted adolescents who just became eligible to become vaccinated, and he wanted to give adults who have still not gotten theirs to get it.

However, once June 11 comes, the mask mandate will be lifted for all Kentuckians. Exceptions will be in place for public transportation, schools, day care centers, prisons, healthcare facilities and long-term care venues. Individuals who are immune-compromised or those who exhibit symptoms or have tested positive within the last 10 days will still need to wear masks.

State officials also recommend people still take masks with them as certain businesses may still require them for their customers.

Beshear, a Democrat, has been at odds with Republicans, which hold super majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, during most of the pandemic over his handling of emergency regulations on businesses. Attempts to end many of those restrictions last year were denied by the state Supreme Court.

During the General Assembly session that ended in March, lawmakers approved several bills, overriding Beshear’s vetoes, that put restrictions on the governor’s emergency powers.

However, Beshear won an emergency injunction that has kept them in place until the state Supreme Court will take up the case next month.

In statements on social media, Kentucky Republican leaders said the governor will still hold the state “hostage” for the next month.

“By not lifting the mask mandate immediately, the Governor throws the burden of enforcing mask compliance onto our businesses to try to figure out who and who isn’t vaccinated,” state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles posted on Twitter.

“He should eliminate the mask mandate immediately, like Tennessee and Indiana have.”

However, some segments of the business community celebrated Friday’s news.

“The business community is ready for a return to normalcy and it is time for our economy to recover,” Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ashli Watts said in a statement.

“We’re thrilled to have a date to plan for,” Stacy Roof, president and CEO of the Kentucky Restaurant Association, told The Center Square. “We’ve been asking for months, and this will help us plan better. It will give people planning to return to work a date to work toward.”

The Restaurant Association had been critical of several state measures, especially in recent months. They had pushed for several restrictions to go away, including the curfew on businesses as well as a restriction on bar seating. Both of those will be eliminated later on May 28.

In addition, the move to expand capacity from 60 percent to 75 percent, which will also take effect later this month, was not as helpful for restaurants because it still required members to adhere to social distancing requirements.

However, with Thursday’s news from the CDC making social distancing a recommendation, Roof said it will make it easier for member businesses to accommodate more customers.

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