Prison Coronavirus Outbreak

Tonight.

On a day where we learned from the u-s bureau of prisons that there's a coronavirus outbreak at the federal prison in clay county...with 39-inmates and five staff with the virus...the governor announces the rate of positive cases in the state is approaching a concerning threshold...just shy of five-percent.

That's tonight's top story at six.

The governor reported 518 new cases, which includes thirteen children under the age of five.

The total number of cases is now 24,540.

Three new deaths were reported bringing the state's death toll to 677.

Abc 36's bobbi mcswine is in studio with more news from todays briefing.

The governor talked alot about the state's economy and its future.

He says this fiscal quarter... a 400 million dollar shortfall was expected.

But now he doesn't expect a shortfall after all...he says he should know by next week.

As for the next quarter...he says he estimates 1 point 1 billion dollars in budget cuts...due to the coronavirus...calli ng it the worst fiscal quarter since the great depression.

Beshear says the next round of cares act funding might be able to help...if it's flexible.

He says the funding needs to be used for more than just covid-related expenses.

Overall...the governor still stresses the need for kentuckians to wear a mask...saying it's the biggest threat to the state's budget moving forward.

The governor also says he is working to get caught up with unemployment claims...and says the pace for filing them has gotten better each day.

##### in fayette county there was one new death reported by the health department today...but the number of new positive cases is down from what has been a record- setting few days this month.

The health department reports 37-new cases...bringing the total since the pandemic hit to more than 25-hundred.

More than 18- hundred people have recovered from the virus.

Wednesday's lone death pushed the city's death toll to 42.

Lexington has had one-thousand-five new cases in july...surpassing the previous high for a month which was 793 cases in june.

Meantime, the health department says the virus is still impacting the black and hispanic communities disproportionately.

There will be 'free' covid-19 testing this week at two locations in cardinal valley...at the elementary school tomorrow and friday and at valley park on saturday.

No appointment necessary.

North