In his evening press conference on Saturday, Governor Andy Beshear announced that there are now 6,440 cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth. Of these cases, 158 were newly confirmed. It is believed that 2,308 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus, however there were six new deaths reported on Saturday, bringing the state’s total to 304. In light of recent court rulings allowing in-person church services to resume immediately, the Governor urged those places of worship to be safe in reopening. Places of worship must clean according to COVID-19 standards and enforce social distancing. The Governor also said that places of worship should strongly consider continuing to offer alternative services, including virtual and drive-in. The state’s complete guidance on houses of worship can be found at healthyatwork.ky.gov.
The Lincoln Trail District Health Department announced an additional COVID-19 related death over the weekend. The department announced on Saturday that a Meade County patient had died due to the virus. This is death number four for the region, which saw three additional deaths last week. In the district’s most recent announcement on Saturday, 133 total cases of the virus and had been confirmed with 97 patients either in home isolation or having recovered.
The sale of Hardin Memorial Health to Baptist Health has been expedited. It was announced over the weekend that the finalization of the deal between the two healthcare providers has now been moved to September 1st. According to the sale’s asset purchase agreement, Baptist will take on all of Hardin Memorial’s assets, and will invest over $230 million to HMH’s operating and capital over ten years. Additionally, HMH will be renamed to Baptist Health Hardin. The sale was previously set to take place December 1st.
One of Hardin County’s most prominent summertime events has been cancelled. The Hardin County Fair has announced that the board voted to cancel the fair this past week in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Facebook post, the Board decided on their course of action after reviewing current and future health guidelines for organizations to follow. The Fair Board will work with local youth organizations to help them compete for state showcases and contests. The fair has taken place in the county since 1885.
