I’m Mayor of a Small City in Kentucky. We Can Safely Reopen.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/opinion/kentucky-coronavirus-economy-reopen.html

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The day after Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky closed restaurants and bars to in-person traffic in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a veteran restaurant owner in my community turned to social media.

“I have been in business for 30 years and I have been through some difficult times, including 1990, 2001 and 2007,” he wrote. “But I tell you this one really worries me.”

He spoke for many of us. Residents of Somerset, Ky., watched as the coronavirus silently crept onto America’s coasts and into our state. We braced for the worst, concerned for our health, sensitive to the dangers of burdening our rural health care system and heartbroken for the local businesses reeling from sweeping government-mandated closures.

Kentuckians tune in to regular press briefings from the governor for knowledge and comfort. And I take every opportunity to encourage the people in my community to remain steadfast in following established guidelines.

We continue to excel. While the initial fear of the unknown was intense, public health efforts to minimize the affects of Covid-19 in Somerset and across Kentucky were swift and effective.

Though there are hot spots of infection in metropolitan areas across the country, rural communities thus far have largely been fortunate. In the two months since we began our aggressive measures, there have been only 65 confirmed cases of the virus and two deaths in Pulaski County, which has a population of just over 65,000.

And yet, though we have done our part to flatten the curve, we continue to lag in reopening our economy and feel justified in our desire to move faster. The international devastation this virus has caused is real. I pray daily for the cities, states and countries that have been hit harder than my own. But I am deeply concerned that if we do not take aggressive action now — if local leaders in Middle America are not given a voice or trusted to make appropriate decisions for their own communities — we will fail at our economic recovery efforts.

When it became apparent near the end of April that the number of new Covid-19 cases per week had mostly plateaued in much of rural Kentucky, I formed with another mayor a nonpartisan coalition of mayors from across the state to discuss and advocate a strategic and safe reopening.

We believe our efforts have been effective. Many health care employees have been able to get back to work faster than anyone thought possible. Our second round of advocacy for retail establishments and restaurants gave these businesses the opportunity to open at 33 percent capacity during Memorial Day weekend. Somerset is in the area of Lake Cumberland — a man-made reservoir that is one of the largest tourist destinations in Kentucky — and being able to have a summer season is critical to our tourism-driven economy.

Still, we struggle. Kentucky has a devastatingly high, 16 percent unemployment rate. According to Fitch Ratings, since March 14, about a third of the labor force in the state has filed an unemployment claim. Our child care centers remain closed until June 15, which has been a blow to parents and guardians who have been asked to return to work. How can we expect our economy to rebound, even slightly, if we’re not giving our employers and employees the tools they need to be successful? If employees cannot work because they have nowhere to take their children, residents and the economy will continue to suffer.

Local leaders should be empowered to advance their economies when risk-mitigation efforts have proved effective. When these strategies, combined with consistent testing, stabilize the number of new cases, it demonstrates we’ve done our part to flatten the curve. We can protect lives while also preserving livelihoods. My administration has chosen to weigh the consequences of inaction — and we know there is risk in every decision we make. But we deserve better.

The playing field is vastly different for rural and urban America on many issues, and this pandemic is no exception. Local leaders should be trusted to coach their communities through this crisis using a playbook uniquely suited to their experiences.

This crisis has been a test of our humanity, and it is now the greatest test of our courage. The government closest to the people is best and most responsive. Main Street is pleading for our help.

Alan Keck is the mayor of Somerset, Ky.

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