We’ll continue to update this post as we learn new information.

There are at least 831 cases throughout Kentucky as of Friday afternoon. Thirty-seven people have died in the state as a result of the coronavirus.

In Indiana, there are 3,437 cases as of Friday. The number of deaths in the state is 102. 

In Tennessee there are 3,067 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Friday,  and 37 people have died as a result of the virus.

Friday, April 3

4:45 p.m.: Governor Andy Beshear said at least 228 people have fully recovered from coronavirus and there have been about 15,572 people tested for the virus. 

Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed the voter ID bill that passed out of the legislature last month.

The bill would have required Kentucky voters to show an ID before casting a ballot, or else show a social security card or credit card and sign an affidavit promising they are who they claim to be.

It would have also created a way for people to get an ID for free at their local county clerk’s office.

U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie is urging Kentucky’s small business owners to take advantage of relief funds in the CARES Act approved by Congress last week. 

The Bowling Green Republican held a conference call with reporters on Thursday to highlight some of the financial aid in the coronavirus stimulus package. 

The relief package includes a Payroll Protection Program to help small businesses continue to pay their workers through the pandemic. Guthrie says the aim is to prevent companies from going out of business.

“They can still write checks to their employees, pay rent to the person who owns their building, or if they own their building, pay interest on their mortgage, and pay their utilities, so they just don’t have to shut down," Guthrie said. "When we open this up, they’re ready to start business."

To slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear and other public officials are asking Kentuckians to maintain strict social distancing and stay “Healthy At Home.”

But in a state that leads the nation in rates of child abuse and neglect, home is not always a safe place, especially for children. According to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Kentucky has the highest rate of child maltreatment in the nation: 23.5 child victims for every 1,000 children. That’s more than double the national rate of 9.2 per 1,000.

Claims for unemployment insurance soared around the Ohio Valley region as nearly 400,000 people in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia sought help amid the economic freeze associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

The new numbers come from data released Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Labor showing more than 6.6 million unemployment claims around the country.

Labor Department figures for the week ending March 28 show Kentucky with 112,726 claims; Ohio with 272,129; and West Virginia with 14,166.