Gov. Andy Beshear issued an order Monday banning non-essential travel outside of Kentucky, and anyone coming into the state for reasons not accepted will be asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.
Acceptable reasons to cross the border include traveling for work, essentials such as groceries and medicine, healthcare for yourself or loved ones, and court.
Beshear said the order was issued because surrounding states have continued to see great increases in the number of cases.
“That doesn’t mean they are doing a good or a bad job,” he said. “What it means is your likelihood of getting infected and potentially bringing back the coronavirus may be greater in other states than ours right now. And really you need to be home. You need to be healthy at home anyway.”
Beshear said he’s heard concerns from Simpson, Todd and Logan counties in Kentucky, as cases continue to mount in their neighboring counties across the Tennessee border. Sumner County alone has more than 80 confirmed cases.
“This is just another reason why this order is so important,” Beshear said. “We don’t need to be traveling to other states right now. We don’t need to be traveling at all.”
He applauded Kentuckians for working hard to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but said they cannot afford to let up.
“We are all in this together,” he said. “We are definitely Kentucky first. We want to make sure that we protect our people to the maximum extent possible.”
While enforcement of the order can be taken by law, Beshear said it’s up to citizens to understand they need to protect each other with a little self-sacrfice.
“The reality is the only way that we’re going to get people doing the right thing is because they agree to, is because they see it as their duty and they know that their actions can harm other people.”
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The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.
For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.
