Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Sunday that COVID-19’s situation in the state is “terrible,” with a record number of hospitalizations amid high-profile cases.
“We are establishing case records. We have a record number of Kentuckians in the hospital fighting COVID in the ICU and fighting for their lives. We have a record number of families praying for their loved one who is on a fan, who needs that help to breathe, ”Beshear told NBC’s“ Meet the Press ”program.
.@GovAndyBeshear on Covid’s rise in Kentucky: “Our situation is dire.”
“The recent Supreme Court case and our legislature limit my ability to do some things like masking. If I had the ability to do it right now, we would have a masking order when you’re in public and indoors. “. pic.twitter.com/qQe2rY9Gqy
– Meet the press (@MeetThePress) September 5, 2021
Last month, Beshear received a severe blow when the Kentucky Supreme Court allowed several laws that limited its COVID-19 emergency powers to come into force. Beshear said the court and legislature limited its ability to impose some COVID-19 restrictions such as masking.
The state sees an increase in COVID-19 cases, which reported more than 5,000 cases on Friday. The cases were as low as in the double digits in June, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, only 49 percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated, making it even more difficult to manage the spread of COVID-19 amid a highly contagious delta variant.