FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 18, 2020) – Gov. Beshear also signed a proclamation recognizing tomorrow, June 19, as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. He will encourage the legislature to adopt it as a state holiday in the next regular session.
Juneteenth celebrates the events of June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger led Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas, to bring news that the Civil War had ended and to read General Order #3, which stated that in accordance with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation all enslaved African-American people were free and entitled to absolute equality of personal and property rights.
Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 18, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 13,197 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 234 of which were newly confirmed Thursday.
Gov. Beshear reported three new deaths Thursday, raising the total to 520 Kentuckians lost to the virus. After review, one death previously counted was determined not to be a COVID-related death and has been removed from the death count.
The deaths reported Thursday include a 91-year-old woman from Jefferson County, an 87-year-old man from Logan County and a 79-year-old man from Perry County.
At least 3,506 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.
Team Kentucky Fund
Today, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman updated Kentuckians that 421 households have now been helped by the Team Kentucky Fund and the total value of the assistance given currently stands at $350,215. There are currently 398 applications that are pending for approval. To apply, go to Community Action Partnerships’ website, capky.org.
Unemployment Insurance
Today, Gov. Beshear announced that the state would continue to expand in-person services to help Kentuckians resolve unemployment insurance claims.
He also explained that the state’s unemployment office budget went from $41 million in 2010 to $25 million in 2018; in addition, in 2017, the state cut 22 out of 51 local unemployment offices and 95 employees. These financial, geographic and staffing challenges have made it more difficult to provide in-person services throughout the commonwealth, but the governor said he was determined to find a path forward.
For more information from the Labor Cabinet at the Kentucky Career Center portal, click here.
Health Care Exchange
Gov. Beshear announced Wednesday his intention to move the commonwealth back to the successful Kynect state health care exchange. For more information, click here.
Testing Expansion
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians Thursday that the state’s partnership with Kroger is bringing testing for coronavirus to several new locations.
Information on how to register at more than 180 sites throughout the commonwealth can be found here.