Gov. Andy Beshear announced that beginning Friday, many businesses will be able to increase capacity from 50% to 60% — including bars and restaurants. On March 15, the state will increase child care capacity to regular group size.
Sectors that will be able to increase to 60% capacity are:
- Indoor auctions
- Barber shops, salons and cosmetologists
- Bars and restaurants
- Bowling alleys
- Indoor educational and cultural activities
- Fitness centers
- Funeral and memorial services
- Government offices and agencies
- Massage therapy
- Movie theaters
- Nail salons
- Office-based businesses
- Places of worship (recommendation)
- Retail
- Tanning salons
- Tattoo parlors
- Vehicle and vessel dealerships
- Venue and event spaces
Mask mandates will still be in place, and the increase is only allowed if 6 feet of social distancing can still be maintained.
Beshear said the increased capacity is an initial step. He said there would need to be a continued downward trend of cases and increasing supply of vaccine in order to further increase capacity.
Beshear said if people do not exercise caution and cases start to go up, he would not be hesitant to take the opposite step and decrease capacity again.
However, Beshear was hopeful and called Monday’s report “the most optimistic report I’ve been able to give you.”
Beshear said Kentucky is expected to receive 36,500 initial doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week.
He also noted Kentucky has now had seven consecutive weeks of declining COVID-19 cases. Beshear reported 508 new cases and 15 deaths Monday, with a positivity rate of 4.84 percent — the lowest it has been since Oct. 18
