Gov. Beshear's Friday COVID-19 Update

During Governor Andy Beshear's Friday update, he provided the latest COVID-19 numbers from across the state. 

There are 258 new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of cases to 13,454. Two more Kentuckians have passed away after contracting the virus, bringing the total number of deaths to 522. As of Friday, 3,516 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. 

The two deaths include a 95-year-old man from Franklin County, and a 68-year-old man from Harlan County.  

"I know Kentuckians have what it takes to reopen as safely as possible," said Gov. Beshear. "We must continue to strike the balance between supporting our local economies and still cutting our contacts significantly." 

Yesterday, Beshear signed a proclamation which recognizes today, June 19, as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. He is also encouraging the Kentucky legislature to adopt it as a state holiday during their next regular session. 

"In recent months, we’ve faced troubling reminders that justice is not always blind," said Gov. Beshear. "We’ve also seen the Black and African-American community suffer disproportionately from COVID-19. We have so much more to do to ensure that all men and women are treated equally, but today we can also commemorate how far we’ve come."