LOUISVILLE, Ky. — New guidance from the CDC encouraged Kentucky Health Officials to change COVID-19 policies as both the cases and positivity rate declines for the fifth week in a row.
Gov. Andy Beshear originally said new guidance should be expected on March 14, but Dr. Steven Stack adapted the new CDC guidance for Kentucky over the weekend.
“I ask everyone to be thoughtful about your and your family’s personal safety. If you have pre-existing conditions, consider continuing to mask up. If you interact with the public a lot, consider continuing to mask up,” said Beshear. “To everybody, let’s be respectful and even encouraging of people’s decision that they want to continue to mask.”
Stack said the basic COVID-19 guidelines will continue:
- Get vaccinated
- Keep up to date on boosters
- Isolate when sick or test positive
- Follow local and state guidelines
However, he said contact tracing will not continue "unless there is a specific public health reason to protect a uniquely vulnerable community or population."
Stack said the breakdown of COVID-19 cases per state and county from the CDC will be on the website within the next two to three days.
The new local guidance will be based on a traffic light system - green is low, yellow is medium and red is high. Stack said they will only recommend universal masking when cases are high. He said that targeted masking will be used in the low and medium case range.
Stack said this system is applied to schools now as well. Prevention strategies will increase or decrease depending on the number of cases in schools he said.
Stack said schools will also adjust their bus policies to reflect new CDC guidelines too.
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