Kentucky's Coronavirus Response Is What Happens When A Sensible Person Is In Charge
As President Donald Trump takes intense criticism for his hamfisted response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus crisis, many are lamenting what might have been if the United States were led by an experienced and rational executive, rather than a conspiratorial buffoon.
Kentucky offers the same stark contrast ― but in reverse. The state is not the epicenter of the United States’ novel coronavirus outbreak, or even the site of that many cases ― there were 14 confirmed as of Friday evening. But since then, Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat who is only four months into his term, has held near-daily news conferences to update reporters and Kentucky residents on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
He has struck a calm but urgent tone and empowered Kentucky’s public health officials to speak frankly and clearly about the depth of the outbreak in the Bluegrass State, the potential for it to get worse, and the steps his government is taking to mitigate it.
Beshear has called on public schools to close, warned Kentuckians to avoid large crowds, and even urged them to avoid going to church ― which he acknowledged was risky in a deeply religious state. The moves might seem drastic, especially to those who still believe this is all a result of media-driven panic or a conspiracy to bring down Trump. But they follow the recommendations of national public health officials and experts who have warned that the crisis will get worse and that limiting people-to-people contact is currently the best way to deal with it.
Beshear’s response has earned praise even from top Republicans in the state, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported this week.
The man Beshear just defeated in a tight election last November, meanwhile, reacted to the COVID-19 outbreak like this:
Link to tweet
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https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/kentucky-trump-beshear-coronavirus-120000537.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw
= new reply since forum marked as read
