Kentucky Reports Highest Coronavirus Infection Increase After a Week of Protests to Reopen State

Authored by newsweek.com and submitted by nclobo

Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced Sunday that the state had set a grim record with 273 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the highest single-day rise to date. Kentucky's increase in infected individuals comes after protesters took to the streets throughout the week to call for the state to be reopened.

With the 273 additional confirmed infections, Kentucky now has 2,960 cases of the novel virus and 1,122 recoveries. Beshear also announced four new deaths on Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities across the state to 148.

"We are still in the midst of this fight against a deadly and highly contagious virus," the governor said during his daily news conference. "Let's make sure, as much as we're looking at those benchmarks and we're looking at the future, that we are acting in the present and we are doing the things that it takes to protect one another."

Recent protests broke out in several states—among them Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan—with demonstrators taking to the streets to call for an end to the stay-at-home orders that have drastically slowed the country's economy, as well as the virus' spread.

As Beshear gave his press briefing on Wednesday, protesters gathered in Frankfort, Kentucky's capital, to demand the state's economy be reopened. Some demonstrators stood directly outside the room where Beshear's press conference was taking place and yelled "Open up Kentucky!" and "You're not a king."

"We do have some folks up here in Kentucky today, saying we should reopen Kentucky immediately, right now," the governor said. "Folks, that would kill people. It would absolutely kill people."

Newsweek reached out to Beshear's office for additional comment.

Beshear unveiled the state's phased plan to reopen its economy on Friday. The guidelines, which mimics those released by the Trump administration this week, includes benchmarks such as ramping up testing for health care professionals and a 14-day decrease in confirmed cases.

Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said that the state had "not yet hit a downward trajectory" and called the required two-week decline in cases a "significant hurdle" that still needs to be overcome. Beshear, however, noted that some measures may be lessened in the next few weeks.

"We see the ability to really start opening up in some small ways maybe leading up to May and some other small ways in May — and then have a lot more optimism as we get towards the end of it," he said.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 764,000 individuals had tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S., with over 40,500 deaths caused by the new disease and 71,000 recoveries.

U-GO-GURL- on April 20th, 2020 at 02:11 UTC »

Thanks to u Dr_Midnight who wrote this. I edited.

As I said in the past, I am very skeptical of online organizations esp in an election year.

Isn’t it funny that all these “grassroots “ organizations appeared overnight to protest quarantines?

There's a ton of “astroturfing” going on, it seems to me.

Astroturfing: organized activity that is intended to create a false impression of a widespread, spontaneously arising, grassroots movement in support of or in opposition to something (such as a political policy) but that is in reality initiated and controlled by a concealed group or organization (such as a corporation)

It’s quite visible in how those groups popped up literally overnight.

Compare the link to the group "Pennsylvanians Against Excessive Quarantine" To the link to the group "Minnesotans Against Excessive Quarantine". Why do these groups have the exact same description?

It's time to OPEN UP PENNSYLVANIA and STOP Gov Wolf's Excessive Quarantine! Politicians are on a power trip, controlling our lives, destroying our businesses, passing laws behind the cover of darkness and forcing us to hand over our freedoms and our livelihood! ENOUGH! Go to www.ReOpenPA.com and send an email to Tom Wolf telling him to stop his excessive quarantine and REOPEN Pennsylvania!

It's time to OPEN OUR STATE and STOP Gov Walz' Excessive Quarantine! Politicians are on a power trip, controlling our lives, destroying our businesses, passing laws behind the cover of darkness and forcing us to hand over our freedoms and our livelihood! ENOUGH! Go to www.ReOpenMN.com and send an email to Tim Walz telling him to stop his excessive quarantine and REOPEN MINNESOTA!

Compare the Operation Gridlock Los Angeles description to the Operation Gridlock Tennessee description. The copy is identical.

Could be a coincidence.

Let's not stop there. Following their own links: the "Pennsylvania Firearms Association", and the group "Minnesota Gun Rights" both have the exact same layout.

Both of these domains are registered with the same registrar and were registered on the exact same day at the same time (in Florida).

Following the pattern of their sites, "reopenmd.com" was registered a little more than week later with the same registrar (from Florida). And, for the record, reopenva.com also exists and has the exact same registry info as reopenmd.com.

Why is someone in Florida is registering domains claiming to be anti-quarantine/gun rights organizations in other states?

Apparently, others have found that a domain for pretty much every other state was registered in the same pattern at the same time.

Just be careful out there. Don’t fall for propaganda or let yourself be used.

Thanks to Dr_Midnight.

leontes on April 20th, 2020 at 00:51 UTC »

No one could have predicted

commanjo on April 20th, 2020 at 00:44 UTC »

And. It. Begins.