FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — State parks will start reopening soon as Kentucky continues to ease restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andy Beshear said Friday.
The parks will reopen June 1 in an effort to revive tourism revenue, Beshear said at his daily briefing. People can make park reservations starting May 19, he said.
Visitors will be expected to follow social distancing and health guidelines, he said.
Reopening to the public will be state resort parks, recreational parks, lodges and cabins beginning June 1, he said.
State resort parks designated to house some coronavirus patients won’t reopen to the public June 1, Beshear said. Those are Lake Cumberland, Lake Barkley, Blue Licks Battlefield and Buckhorn Lake.
He reported four more virus-related deaths in Kentucky, bringing the state’s death count to at least 332 since the pandemic began.
Beshear reported 252 more coronavirus cases, raising the statewide total to more than 7,440 cases. New cases were inflated by an outbreak at a federal prison in Lexington, he said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, even death.
