ROUGH DAY

Kentucky Guv: New COVID Stats Are a Shocking ‘Wake-Up Call’

Gov. Andy Beshear’s anti-virus efforts are under attack from the state’s attorney general.

Kentucky reported its biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases to date Sunday night, and Gov. Andy Beshear said the numbers should be a “shocking wake-up call” to residents. Beshear announced 979 new cases but said given that not everyone reports on Sunday, the number might be even higher, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. The surge comes even though Beshear has issued emergency orders, including a mask mandate. But his measures are under attack, with the Republican state attorney general trying to stop the Democratic governor from enforcing the rules.

Beshear said the spike in contagion shows that even stricter social distancing is needed. “Whether it’s folks out at a baseball field that are all sitting on the bleachers together not wearing masks, or whether it’s to those that don’t think that this thing is truly spreading and can harm people, this is a rough day for the Commonwealth,” he said.