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Kentucky, like all states, is trying to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases. Although for some reason the politicians can not get it quite right. In Lexington, the number of coronavirus cases is beginning to plateau, but the number is still increasing. The number of cases is still steadily rising each day. Many states have already begun to lower their number of cases within the first month. Illinois, for example, has lowered its case number by one of the largest amounts in the country. Many states have been able to lower case numbers, yet in Lexington, it is a different case.
Health officials have explained a couple of different reasons why the case number could be going up in Lexington. The first being that Lexington is a hub for people in the surrounding area. Many people work there or have to go there to get groceries and entertainment. They have begun asking people to follow the guideline of wearing a mask no matter where they are from. Which arguably should have already been done. Another reason officials say their numbers may be increasing is because people are beginning to take the guidelines less seriously. People are beginning to have cookouts with their extended families again.
The Professionals
Many people who are tested in Lexington are university students who attend the University of Kentucky. If they test positive they quarantine on campus. Kevin Hall, the spokesperson of the health department stated that “Those numbers are still an accurate reflection of what’s in Lexington,” “Because students are part of the community. They are going to our restaurants, they are going to our stores, they are interacting with people on a regular basis. So, even though they are a separate piece, so to speak, they are still very much at risk of spreading those to others in the community at large.”
University of Kentucky students are being tested as they arrive at school. On Monday 1,600 students were tested and 12 were positive, resulting in a 0.7 percent positivity rate. The university plans to test every student on campus to establish a baseline of how many cases are on campus. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expresses his concerns publicly. He stated “You can’t be doing the things that put your experience at risk. Our college kids shouldn’t be faced with that, but we didn’t have to be that level of responsible. Actions now can kill people.” He said this after hearing that a student who tested positive had gone to a party before coming to school.
A Bad Analogy
A Kentucky superintendent had to apologize after comparing the number of Covid-19 cases to the number of Holocaust victims in a tweet. Mike Stacy is the superintendent at Beechwood Independent Schools and was two weeks away from teaching advanced placement European history. The tweet which has since been deleted read, “Can’t wait to get started, especially with the events of 2020,” “790 total COVID deaths in KY during 2020 …. you’d have to times that by 7,600 to get the 6 million Jews that died in death camps during WWII.” This seems like an incredibly unrelated thing to bring up and many people noted this as well.
Stacy tweeted later that day his apologies for the statement he made as well as explained his intention with the tweet. He stated, “Earlier today, I posted a comment on social media that could have been interpreted as insensitive, inconsiderate and completely out of line,” “My intention was to encourage my students, over the next fourteen days, to think about history and how different moments throughout history have been dire and painful; however, I did a terrible job of conveying this thought. I am sincerely apologetic for the thoughtlessness of my words.”
It seems as though Kentucky has had a few issues in terms of controlling their case count, although in the entire state of Kentucky the curve is flattening, and they are hopeful to be able to spend time with their families and friends soon.
Written by Joseph Nelson
Sources:
WKYT: Why is Lexington seeing COVID numbers increase while the rest of Kentucky levels off?
Lexington Herald: 12 of 1,600 students test positive for COVID-19 on University of Kentucky campus
Courier Journal: Kentucky superintendent apologizes for comments comparing COVID-19 and Holocaust victims
Featured Image Courtesy of Rich Bowen’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image COurtesy of Alan Levine’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
