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Coronavirus: Kentucky governor asks churches to ring bells daily at 10 a.m.

Kentucky’s governor asked the state’s churches to ring their bells daily at 10 a.m. EDT as a way to lift the spirits of residents grappling with the coronavirus.

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Gov. Andy Beshear made the request during Monday’s news conference as a way to provide encouragement to residents he said were feeling “alone” during the pandemic, WLKY reported. Beshear said his request was inspired after he heard about an 82-year-old woman who died of COVID-19 on Monday, the television station reported.

It was the fourth recorded death in Kentucky, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

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“We’d like places of worship to ring their bells every morning -- for those who are feeling alone, working from home, not working at home, to let them know we’re thinking about them,” Beshear said during his news conference.

Beshear banned all mass gatherings, including church services, last week, the Hoptown Chronicle reported.

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Ashley Wilkerson, the stewardship minister at Saints Joseph and Paul Catholic Church in Owensboro, said the governor’s bell-ringing request was a great way to keep churches connected to their parishioners.

“We cannot gather in prayer, but we can unite in prayer, and I think that’s just a wonderful thing to do to keep our connection to one another at this time of separation," Wilkerson told WFIE.

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During his news conference, Beshear also called for buildings and homes to display green lights to represent compassion and empathy, WLKY reported.