FRANKFORT - In his Saturday update, Governor Andy Beshear reminded everyone to stay up for the challenge of fighting the novel coronavirus, and he reminded everyone to check local air quality before going outside for long periods. 

As of Saturday afternoon, Beshear said there were 316 newly reported cases of the virus, for a total of at least 15,167 cases in Kentucky. One new death was reported Saturday, a 78-year-old woman from Fayette County. 

"This virus is not going away yet," said Gov. Beshear. "We see numbers spiking in states all across the country. We need to be vigilant so that doesn't happen here in Kentucky."

The total number of deaths in Kentucky is now 554 Kentuckians.

Kentucky Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack warned everyone of the possibility of poor air quality. An enormous cloud of dry and dusty air that originated over the Sahara Desert is moving across the southern United States over the next three to seven days.

"We absolutely need to be cautious this weekend and next week, monitor the air quality index in our area, and if needed, limit our time outside," said Gov. Beshear. "We've already shown that we can come together to fight a global pandemic for months, so I know we can take the steps needed to protect ourselves and our loved ones over one week."

On the Net:

KY COVID-19 Web Link