Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and his family are quarantining in the governor's mansion after possibly being exposed to COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon.
Beshear said he received a call from contact tracers indicating he may have been exposed to the virus after a "member of his security detail" drove with them on Saturday and learned he was positive for COVID on Sunday. A release from the governor says, "The first family was not in contact with anyone else following exposure."
In a video statement, Beshear says he and his family have all tested negative for the virus, but they are following the Centers for Disease Control's and the Kentucky Department for Public Health's recommendations that anyone who is within 6 feet of a person with the coronavirus for more than 15 minutes should quarantine.
The quarantine is to help make sure they do not potentially expose anyone else to the virus.
"We feel great," Beshear said in the video. "But we want to make sure we're setting the example and that we're also keeping other people around us safe — that we're walking the walk, not just talking the talk."
At least through this week, he will continue to provide his daily 4 p.m. updates from the mansion.
The presumed incubation period for COVID-19 is listed as 14 days. Quarantine is different from "isolation" in that isolation refers to separating an individual who has tested positive for the virus from others to prevent further infection. Quarantine is considered a precautionary measure while people wait to see if they develop the virus.
Beshear said he and his family will continue to be tested and follow all Kentucky Department for Public Health Guidelines.
