Pointing to other states that have already reopened, Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said Kentucky needs to follow suit and announced a specific date for reopening rather than using a metric to determine when restrictions may be lifted.
Quarles made a stop in Owensboro for his “Restaurant Roundtables” series primarily aimed at listening to emerging issues across the Commonwealth, but he was emphatic that Kentucky needs a more concrete idea of when things will open fully again.
“We need a clear date that we can all look forward to, not just to support local restaurants but enjoy life again,” Quarles said. “We’re 14 months into this pandemic. … When state’s like California have already announced a reopening date but Kentucky hasn’t, I think there’s a disconnect between the governor’s office and the reality across Kentucky.”
Earlier this month, Gov. Andy Beshear said the state will remove capacity restrictions and distancing requirements for nearly all venues, events and businesses that cater to 1,000 or fewer patrons when 2.5 million Kentuckians have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
He also said the curfew for bars and restaurants would end once the goal is met.
On April 12, Beshear said Kentucky could reach the 2.5 million goal as soon as 3½ weeks with the current vaccine supplies, but said it would probably take four to six weeks.
As of Tuesday, 1,732,791 Kentuckians have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Supply has begun to outpace demand for vaccines, and the number of people receiving vaccines weekly has declined. If that trend continues, uncertainty will remain about when Kentucky will reopen.
Quarles noted that many Kentucky residents of border counties are traveling to less restrictive states for food and entertainment. He also said many industries need advance notice to prepare to return to full function, so an arbitrary timeline isn’t beneficial to anyone.
“We need a reopening date, and not a reopening metric,” he said. “We want to encourage people to get the vaccine, but we need to reward our small businesses by reopening. Other states have already done it.”
