"Thank you to everyone who worshipped at home today. Your decision to stay home, even when it is really hard, is what saves lives. Thank you, Kentuckians. People you have never met are going to be alive three months from now because of your willingness to do it."
According to Beshear, more than 99.8% of the commonwealth's houses of worship cancelled in-person services this weekend. Only about seven congregations held in-person services disregarding the Governor's executive order banning mass gatherings and repeated warnings from local, state and federal health officials that these services risked Kentuckians' lives.
Individuals who attended these in-person services will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, in order to limit the impact of their actions on other people.
Commissioner for the Department for Public Health Dr. Steven Stack said, "Does our right to gather together entitle us to have other people die as a result? That is essentially, what happened. This is about any gathering, not just churches. We are at a time and place in history when the human species has never faced, for the last hundred years, a threat like we do now. The choices and decisions you make have implications, not only for yourself, but for others."
As of 5 p.m. on Sunday, there were at least 1,963 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 134 of which were newly confirmed.
"In Kentucky, we are still not seeing the increase we are seeing in other states and we are grateful for that," Gov. Beshear said.
Gov. Beshear also reported three new deaths Sunday, raising the state's toll to 97 deaths related to the virus.
The newly reported deaths include a 72-year-old man from Jefferson County, 74-year-old woman from Hopkins County, and a 62-year-old man from Pike County.
"We know that we are flattening the curve, let's not let up now," Gov. Beshear said. "This virus comes for the most vulnerable and protecting them are the steps we take every single day to do our very best to reduce our contacts. Let's make sure we keep that up. Let's make sure we do our part to not spread this virus."
At least 607 people (30.9% of total cases) have recovered from COVID-19 in Kentucky.
