Tennessee has triple Kentucky’s coronavirus cases after GOP Gov. delayed social distancing longer than Dem counterpart
NEW graphs show Tennessee has three times the amount of coronavirus cases than Kentucky — after the state’s Republican governor delayed social distancing for his residents amid the outbreak.
The graphs show the staggering growth in cases between the neighboring states up until April 5, with seeing roughly 3,200 more cases than .
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, , declared a state of emergency on March 6 when the state confirmed its .
On March 16, Beshear ordered all in the state to shut down their dine-in operations, and on March 30, he announced a new order instructing residents not to travel to other states.
Beshear understood the financial toll it would take on small businesses, but said it was necessary to avoid spreading the virus.
In Tennessee, did not issue a state of emergency until March 12, a week after the state’s first coronavirus case, and a day after the World Health Organization declared the virus a global pandemic.
Lee had said, just before the emergency declaration, that such an order wasn’t necessary unless Tennessee was seeing “clusters of affected patients."
On March 10, the governor said: "We don’t see a reason at this point (to close state offices and schools) because the threat is significantly low to Tennesseans.”
It wasn’t until March 30 that Lee’s office said he was issued a "safer-at-home" order that asks people to avoid doing things that aren't essential.
"This is not a mandated shelter in place order, but it is a strong urging for Tennesseans to stay at home," Lee said. “I personally believe that with personal liberty comes personal responsibility.”
Additionally, Beshear began holding daily briefings on March 7, while Lee started holding daily briefings on March 23.
The graphs showing the difference between the two states were put together by Stephanie Jolly, : “This infographic has encouraged thousands to stay at home who otherwise wouldn't have.”
“I make a version with the actual counts because it is more easily understood by those seeking simple visuals — especially when sharing with older relatives.”
Jolly she’s been making the graphs out of “a matter of curiosity.”
“I never meant it to be — it’s about policy choices,” she said of the graphs comparing the states, with governors who are in opposing political parties.
“I’ve had a lot of people from Tennessee telling me they wished they were taking the same steps as Kentucky,” she told the news outlet.
Since the outbreak, Beshear’s popularity has seemingly spiked as people across the country commend his leadership.
, fans of his from other states have been joking in a Facebook group about what they’d trade to have Beshear.
From Florida “Tom Brady, 3 NFL teams, 2 NHL hockey teams, & ” was offered, while someone from Texas offered Matthew McConaughey.
Beshear recently became one of the , and he’s been referred to as Kentucky’s own Mr. Rogers or Superman.
As of Thursday morning, the state of Kentucky — with 4.5 million residents — had 1,341 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 73 deaths.
Tennessee, with 6.7 million residents, had 4,363 cases with 80 deaths.
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on April 12, per data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Kentucky’s expected peak date is 54 projected deaths on April 25, with a total of 1,750 projected deaths.
In Tennessee, 25 deaths were projected for its peak on April 18, with 587 total projected deaths.
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