Kentuckians who need help paying rent and utilities during the pandemic can now apply for available funds online. Gov. Andy Beshear announced during a coronavirus briefing Monday that the commonwealth has received $297 million in federal coronavirus relief funds for eviction relief.
“The healthy at home eviction relief fund follows earlier similar efforts to help our people stay in their homes, to pay their bills to landlords and to utilities and to get out of this pandemic without suffering from a significant amount of debt,” he said.
Beshear said tenants and landlords can apply; Tenants have to meet certain requirements. Late fees charges for past due rent must also be forgiven.
Beshear said coronavirus statistics are trending in a positive direction. For five consecutive weeks new COVID-19 cases in the state have continued to decrease. Beshear announced 723 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the lowest number of new cases since October. The positivity rate is 6.5%, down significantly from its peak of more than 12.5% during the recent surge of cases.
Beshear reported nine new deaths Monday, bringing the state’s total death toll to 4,291.
Beshear said 555,950 people in the state have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. He also announced that child care workers are now eligible to sign up for the vaccine, following new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The decision to move child care workers up was based on both listening to those individuals, understanding where they were coming from, but just as importantly the CDC recently moving them up as well,” he said.
In Ohio, new cases of the virus also continue to trend downward. On Monday the state reported 1,915 new cases and 48 new deaths. Nearly 11.2% of residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
West Virginia reported 301 new cases of COVID-19 and two new deaths on Monday, and 250,466 people have received one dose of a vaccine.
Visit the ReSource COVID Data Tracker and Vaccine Tracker for more information about the pandemic in Kentucky.
