FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s governor reported 775 new coronavirus cases Thursday, including 130 young people testing positive to continue a trend that he says needs to be closely monitored.

Gov. Andy Beshear has pointed to the number of COVID-19 cases involving school-age children as school districts decided whether to reopen schools.

He has recommended that schools wait until Sept. 28 to resume in-person classes, relying on virtual learning until then, to give more time to get a recent surge of virus cases under control.

In reporting that 130 people ages 18 and younger were counted among the latest Kentucky virus cases, the Democratic governor said: “That’s a trend we have to pay attention to.”

“If you’ve ever had a kid that’s gotten a test because they’re worried that you have it — I went through that — the questions they ask you break your heart,” he said. “And the trauma that they go through is real.”

The governor reported eight more virus-related deaths, raising the state’s death toll to 910 since the pandemic started. Kentucky’s total number of virus cases surpassed 45,970.

Kentucky’s positivity rate — a rolling figure reflecting the average number of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 — stayed below 5% at 4.8%.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness and be fatal.

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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s attorney general has ruled that the state cannot force religious schools to close as long as they are following health recommendations put in place to protect against the coronavirus.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron wrote in the Wednesday opinion that a forced closure of religious schools by Gov. Andy Beshear would violate the U.S. Constitution and state law, news outlets reported.

When asked about the opinion, Beshear said Wednesday that “nobody is trying to close any school that is complying with guidelines and preventing outbreaks.”

“I don’t know where that came from,” the Courier-Journal quoted him as saying.

Republican state Sen. Wil Schroder requested the opinion, according to the ruling.

Cameron said in a statement that religious schools were protected by the Constitution, even during the pandemic.

“Religiously affiliated schools are an important extension of faith for many Kentucky families, and the state cannot prevent them from operating so long as necessary health precautions are observed,” according to the statement.

The opinion comes after Beshear recommended Kentucky schools begin the year with online learning until Sept. 28 to give more time to bring a recent surge in virus cases under control.

The Archdiocese of Louisville and other religious schools, as well as some public districts, have decided to move ahead with or have already begun reopening for in-person classes, the newspaper said. Others have said they plan to start virtually.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A protester who participated in hanging an effigy of Kentucky’s governor at an armed rally on the State Capitol grounds has been fired from his job at an auto dealer.

Neil Huffman Auto Group said it terminated the unidentified employee after an internal review, saying it “does not condone threats of violence in any form.”

“There is no place for hate or intolerance at any of our dealerships,” Shannon Huffman, the auto dealer’s human resources manager, said on social media Tuesday evening.

Gov. Andy Beshear responded to a question Wednesday about the firing, saying “different decisions have consequences and I would hope that we would all make better decisions.”

“But you don’t simply in the moment make a dummy with somebody’s face on it and hang it up,” the Democratic governor said. “I think what we saw was an act intended to create fear and terror.”

The protester fired was identified by the Courier Journal as Terry Bush, president of the Kentucky 3 Percenters group. His dismissal was confirmed by his wife, Patsy Bush, the newspaper reported.

“He was fired because this governor is more important than the regular Joe out in this state trying to put food on their tables,” Patsy Bush told the newspaper Wednesday.

The effigy was hanged in a tree near the State Capitol during what was billed as a protest rally in defense of constitutional rights, including the right to bear arms. The rally turned into a protest against coronavirus restrictions and Beshear’s administration, according to news reports, with protesters chanting outside the Governor’s Mansion for him to come outside.

The playing of Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless The USA” at the protest angered the singer.

“I am furious that they used my song in an attempt to give strength to their event, and do not condone their behavior and its use in conjunction with a suggested lynching, even one that is purely symbolic,” Greenwood said in a statement.

“To be clear, I absolutely support the right for citizens to unite in protest and public gathering. However, my song was written solely to inspire and unite, not further divide and distance our country, certainly as in times of strife as we are today.”

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