At Least 1 Infected After 'Coronavirus Party'

Kentucky governor slams 'callous' behavior
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 25, 2020 1:39 AM CDT
At Least 1 Infected After 'Coronavirus Party'
Harry Powell, of Lexington, Ky., works to change the marquee at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, March 18, 2020.   (Alex Slitz/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)

Kentucky reported 39 new coronavirus cases Tuesday—and Gov. Andy Beshear says one of them makes him angry. The governor says at least one person became infected after attending a "coronavirus party" with a group of people in their 20s. Beshear says the group, who "apparently thought they were invincible," deliberately defied state guidance on social distancing, WTVQ reports. Health officials have warned young people to practice social distancing because the virus can be spread widely by infected people who don't show symptoms, reports CNN. The virus also appears to be affecting younger people in the US more than it did in China, with 20% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the US between 20 and 44, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Anyone who goes to something like this may think they’re indestructible, but it’s someone else’s loved one that they are going to hurt,” Beshear says, per the Lexington Herald-Leader. "We are battling for the health and the lives of our parents and our grandparents. Don’t be callous as to intentionally go to something and expose yourself to something that will hurt other people. We ought to be much better than that." Beshear says the state has received 41,744 respirators and other equipment from the federal government, but it still needs much more protective equipment and was recently outbid by FEMA for some. He says an anonymous benefactor recently dropped off 4,000 testing swabs at the state Capitol. (More Kentucky stories.)

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