A Kentucky resident tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) after attending a “coronavirus party,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at a press conference Tuesday.

The age and current condition of the patient who tested positive was not released, nor were details about the “party.”

Nonetheless, Beshear had some stern words for anyone considering similar behavior.

“We still have folks that aren’t following the recommendations. And that ultimately hurts all of us,” Beshear said at his daily COVID-19 press briefing. “We have a positive case today from someone who attended a ‘coronavirus party.'”

“And this is the part where I, the person to tell everybody to be calm, have to remain calm myself,” the governor continued. “Because anyone who goes to something like this may think that they are indestructible. But it’s someone else’s loved one that they are going to hurt. We are battling for the health and even the lives of our parents and our grandparents.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q5LhuqIm0ow

“Don’t be so callous as to intentionally go to something and expose yourself to something that can kill other people,” he urged. “We ought to be much better than that.”

Beshear continued to say that “we all owe each other a duty to protect each other, and we simply can’t have folks that are doing things like this.”

“So, this is one that I hope I never have to report on again,” he said, adding that hearing about the “coronavirus party” made him “mad.”

“This is something that no one should be doing across the commonwealth. My job in these press conferences is to talk to you about how we’re going to get through it — and we are — and that we’re going to do everything we can to protect the lives of those around us,” he said. “But this is one that makes me mad. And it should make you mad. Ultimately, the power of forgiveness, we get through this, we should forgive that person. But no more of these. Anywhere. Statewide. Ever. For any reason.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, 3,022 people in Kentucky have been tested for COVID-19, and 157 have tested positive for the contagious respiratory virus, according to Kentucky’s Department of Health, including the party attendee.

There have been four coronavirus-related deaths in the state so far, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

The state recommends its residents to practice social distancing by keeping at least six feet away from other people, encourages churches to cancel large gatherings and urges business to allow employees to work remotely and to provide paid sick leave, among other similar measures.

Schools have been closed in the state, and residents are asked to avoid all non-essential travel.

Nationwide, there have been at least 49,619 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, with 615 deaths.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.

Source: Read Full Article