Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is providing an update on vaccinations, regulations and COVID-19 in the state.
On Friday, when Beshear last addressed the state, he announced that Kentucky businesses, venues and events can return to full capacity starting June 11. The state's mask mandate will also be lifted on that day, except in "places where people are most vulnerable," Beshear said.
Before that on May 28, businesses and venues can increase capacity to 75%, and that also applies to all events regardless of the number of attendees. Kentucky's midnight last call for bars and restaurants will end that day.
On Monday, Beshear addressed questions and concerns he said he'd heard in regards to the month-long wait to lift restrictions. He said the month is important, to ensure children ages 12 to 15 the chance to get the recently authorized Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Others who have been putting off vaccination can take the month to become fully vaccinated before restrictions change to allow for higher capacities, which means higher chances for contact with more people.
So far, Kentucky has vaccinated nearly 1.9 million people against COVID-19, or about 43% of the state's population. The state's test positivity rate, one of the key indicators of virus spread, was 2.78% on Monday
Since March 2020, 451,213 Kentuckians have tested positive for COVID-19 and 6,637 have died of the virus.
Watch the full address below:
