‘We are no longer in crisis.’ Beshear ends most COVID-19 restrictions in Kentucky.

In his final regularly scheduled COVID-19 news conference on Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 237 new cases of the virus, nine deaths, and formally rescinded his statewide mask mandate and all remaining capacity restrictions on businesses.

Beshear on Friday signed an executive order canceling the mask mandate, capacity restrictions and healthy-at-work requirements. Masks will still be required at places where people are most vulnerable, including hospitals and nursing homes.

“Today we are lifting the final restrictions put in place that have kept our people safe during this once in a lifetime global pandemic,” he said. “After more than 15 months of struggle and of sacrifice, we can say this: while COVID-19 remains a threat, we are no longer in crisis.”

The move signals a true return to normalcy for many Kentuckians, who for more than a year have adapted their lives to try and slow the spread of the deadly virus. Masks were first required statewide last July, and each month since, the governor has renewed his executive order.

To date, at least 7,138 people have died from coronavirus, while the state has confirmed 461,717 total cases. The statewide positivity rate on Friday was 2.05%. Of the nine people whose deaths were announced on Friday, one was vaccinated, Beshear said.

In addition to revoking the mask mandate, Beshear lifted restrictions on crowd capacity in restaurants and most other businesses. Before Friday, restaurants and bars could seat at 75% capacity.

Though there’s no longer a mask mandate, Beshear said it’s OK for public-facing businesses to continue asking their customers to wear facial coverings.

“I certainly support any business that wants to continue that requirement if they believe they are at risk,” he said. As for individuals, “wear your mask until you’re comfortable taking it off. We’ve all been through a decent amount of trauma, so let’s all be patient with one another.”

More than 2.1 million people are at least partially vaccinated — at least 47% of the state population. He again pleaded with not-yet-vaccinated Kentuckians to get their doses. People under age 49 still account for the lowest immunization rates: roughly half of people between the ages of 40 to 49 are vaccinated, along with 43% of 30- to 39-year-olds and 33% of people ages 18 to 29.

Those who aren’t yet vaccinated “are risking harm to themselves,” he said.

Ongoing since February of 2020, the governor held news conferences sometimes twice daily at different points throughout the pandemic, walking people through the state of the virus. In the last few months, as vaccines were widely distributed and the prevalence of the virus started to recede, the frequency of those updates have waned to once a week. Since January, the rate of new cases has declined by 93% and deaths have declined by 95%, Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack said.

Kentucky diagnosed its first case of the virus in March of 2020, and in the ensuing months, Beshear enacting dozens of measures to blunt spread of the contagious disease. Reception of his measures evolved over time; early in the pandemic he was revered for taking clear, proactive steps to try and mitigate spread. Some of his repeated phrases, like “We can’t be doing that,” were made into glorifying internet memes and sold as memorabilia.

While many approved of his handling of the virus, his strict orders, especially compared to other surrounding states — Tennessee, for instance, never had a statewide mask mandate — rankled others. Last May that tension hit a fever pitch when Beshear was hung in effigy from a tree behind the Capitol by people protesting his executive orders. Members of the group crossed barriers in front of the governor’s mansion and chanted and heckled the governor and his family from their front porch.

It rattled Beshear, who postured in response and insisted at the time, “I will not be afraid, I will not be bullied and I will not back down.”

Many Republicans who feel Beshear has abused his executive powers throughout the pandemic have consistently criticized the Democratic governor, and lifting of the restrictions on Friday did little to placate them.

On Thursday evening, Senate Republican leaders held a press conference with the stated goal of holding Beshear accountable for the mask mandate, the troubled unemployment insurance system and what they said was an artificially inflated economy. “These criticisms don’t come from us because we’re playing petty politics,” said Senate President Pro Tem David Givens, R-Greensburg. “These are the voices we hear day in and day out of families struggling to make it work.”

The senators called on Beshear to end the COVID-19 state of emergency in Kentucky (a battle that is also now before the Kentucky Supreme Court) and renewed their push for him to stop accepting federal aid that gives people collecting unemployment insurance an extra $300 a week.

Beshear said those payments continue to put roughly $34 million into the state’s economy each week. When to stop accepting that federal aid, which Beshear said he is actively monitoring, will depend “solely on how we can have a sustained recovery and not any [political] argument.”

Herald-Leader writer Daniel Desrochers contributed to this story.