FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky businesses, venues and events will be allowed to host more customers and guests, both indoors and outdoors, come Memorial Day weekend.
During a Thursday afternoon news briefing, Beshear announced that by Friday, May 28, all indoor and outdoor businesses, venues and events catering to fewer than 1,000 people will be allowed to operate at 75% capacity. All those catering to more than 1,000 people can move up to 60% capacity, whether indoor or outdoor.
Watch Beshear's full address here:
"For seven straight press conferences I've been saying, 'Yes, we will be easing restrictions as we move toward that goal (of 2.5 million Kentuckians vaccinated)," Beshear said. "We're going to do it step by step like we've always done it."
As of Thursday, 1.8 million Kentuckians had gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Beshear went on to explain that the Memorial Day target weekend also will allow public schools to finish out their spring terms while giving business owners time to prepare for the uptick in customers they might expect that holiday weekend.
"This allows our kids to finish up school but also gives notice to all those who might be hosting folks, opening up pools. It's a big restaurant or retail weekend," Beshear said.
Beshear said he expects all of the capacity limits to lift completely this summer, but he did not speculate on a specific date.
Late last month, Beshear relaxed his mask mandate, allowing any outdoor event catering to fewer than 1,000 people to be mask-free.
Beshear also touted April as setting a record for the most sales tax revenue collected in a single month in the history of the commonwealth at $486.5 million.
"This directly shows how people are out, spending," Beshear said. "More people were out everywhere you pay sales tax."
