FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 25, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the commonwealth.
‘Fast 4 at 4’
Gov. Beshear is beginning his briefings with the “Fast 4 at 4,” which will highlight a variety of issues of importance to Kentuckians and the commonwealth.
• The Governor reminded voters they now can go to www.GoVoteKy.com to request an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 general election, if they are concerned about COVID-19 and voting.
• Gov. Beshear encouraged Kentuckians to spread the word about the most important action we all can take to fight the coronavirus, by using the social media hashtag #MaskUpKY to model good behavior.
• The Governor spoke about efforts to ensure Kentucky continues to have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for our health care workers and others.
• Information about COVID-19 cases related to schools is being collected and is posted online
To view the reports, click here for K-12 and here for colleges and universities.
‘Last Mile’ Internet Service
Today, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced a plan to allocate $8 million to provide “Last Mile” internet service to all Kentucky students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
“COVID-19 has not only created new and unique challenges we must confront, it has brought to surface issues that have been plaguing our communities for generations. These underlying issues disproportionately affect communities of color and Kentuckians who live in poverty,” the Lieutenant Governor said. “One of these issues is lack of access to high-speed internet.”
Lt. Gov. Coleman noted that as schools have transitioned to using more nontraditional-instruction (NTI) days, it has broadened the educational gap for many communities. She said before the pandemic, approximately 90% of Kentucky’s K-12 students had internet access. That has grown to 95% over the past five months.
“We have to do better for the remaining 5% of students who do not have internet access in their homes,” Lt. Gov. Coleman said.
The Lieutenant Governor said the $8 million in federal Cornavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding will help reduce the monthly cost for low-income parents to pay for internet access for their K-12 child. A request for proposalse is being sent out with a goal by Sept. 15 of identifying providers that can supply high-speed internet service for all Kentucky K-12 students in low-income homes at no more than $10 per month for the next two to three school years.
Students currently without internet access from low-income homes will be eligible to have the full $10-per-month cost paid through the next school year. Students with internet access from low-income homes will be eligible to have nearly all of the monthly cost paid through the federal Lifeline program for the next two or three school years.
The “Last Mile” internet service includes wireless options like hotspots connected to a student’s cellphone, satellites and fixed wireless capabilities. It also includes wired options like traditional services from a cable, telephone or utility company.
Details will be posted to the Kentucky Department of Education website early next week.
Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Aug. 25, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 44,568 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 688 of which were newly reported Tuesday. Ninety-six of the newly reported cases were from children ages 18 and younger, of which 12 were children ages 5 and under. The youngest were two 8-month-olds.
Ten new deaths were reported Tuesday, raising the total to 895 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Tuesday include an 81-year-old man from Bell County; a 59-year-old man from Daviess County; an 89-year-old man from Jefferson County; three women, ages 80, 84 and 85, from Lewis County; an 87-year-old woman from Logan County; an 84-year-old man and a 92-year-old woman from Scott County; and a 79-year-old man from Webster County.
As of Tuesday, there have been at least 831,302 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.07%. At least 9,594 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. To see all recent daily reports, click here.
Pandemic Benefits
Eric Friedlander, secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, spoke Tuesday about the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program.
Since late May, Kentucky families with students who normally receive free or reduced-cost meals at school have been eligible for financial assistance to replace those meals through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) P-EBT program, part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
“About 173,000 students in Kentucky’s public and private schools have been approved for these benefits,” Secretary Friedlander said. “They’ve received a preloaded P-EBT card, and cardholders have been able to shop for food at local groceries, Amazon.com and Walmart.com.”
However, Secretary Friedlander said more than 115,000 eligible Kentucky households have not applied for the P-EBT benefits they deserve.
Secretary Friedlander said the deadline to apply for the P-EBT program is Monday, Aug. 31, benefind.ky.gov.
“There is no cost to the recipient, and families who receive P-EBT benefits will not have to pay back the benefits,” Secretary Friedlander said. “These benefits are not taxable.”
Commutations
On Tuesday, Gov. Beshear and J. Michael Brown, secretary of the Governor’s executive cabinet, once again announced the commutation of sentences for hundreds of medically vulnerable inmates and inmates who are nearing the end of their sentence in an effort to reduce the chances of spreading the coronavirus.
Secretary Brown said all of those receiving a commutation had been screened to ensure they had not been convicted of violent crimes or sex offenses.
The Governor noted that this is the latest round of commutations aimed at protecting inmates and staffers. Three previous rounds of commutations by Gov. Beshear covered 1,235 inmates, under the same criteria announced today. As of July 6, 2020, the total number of inmates released was 1,171.
Secretary Brown said the latest commutations followed the same guidelines as the last.
“Today’s signed executive order has 646 individuals receiving commutation from the Governor,” Secretary Brown said.
He noted that 121 of the commutations are for inmates who are medically vulnerable, according to guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and with less than five years left to serve of their sentences. Another 525 are inmates who have less than six months left to serve.