Kentucky governor: Anyone at Easter mass gatherings required to quarantine for 14 days

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WCHS/WVAH) - Kentucky’s death toll due to the coronavirus reached 90 Friday as the state added 242 new positive cases.

Gov. Andy Beshear said the state’s total of cases now stands at 1,693.

The governor said the new numbers should be enough of a warning for Kentuckians not to gather in person for services on Easter weekend.

“I hope everyone knows that even on a weekend like this, we can’t have any in-person gatherings,” Beshear said.

To further protect state residents, Beshear said any person who is caught participating in a mass gathering during the weekend will be ordered to quarantine for 14 days by their local health department.

License plates at churches with in-person gatherings will be recorded and sent to health departments for enforcement, the governor said.

“This is the only way we can make sure that your decision doesn’t kill someone else,” Beshear said.

The move does not include drive-in church services, and the enforcement is not exclusive to churches. The governor said the state will do the same for any mass gathering it is aware of.

There are currently 271 people hospitalized due to the virus, including 105 in intensive care units.