Kentucky man who reportedly refused quarantine denies he was tested for coronavirus

A Kentucky man who reportedly refused quarantine is denying that he was tested for the coronavirus at all, The Kentucky Standard reported Sunday. 

The man — who spoke to The Kentucky Standard through his wife, who acted as his spokeswoman – contradicted Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) statements that he refused to quarantine himself against medical advice. 

The wife told the newspaper that her husband is diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and starting on March 4, developed a cough and had difficulty breathing. Four days later, his oxygen levels were dangerously low and his pulmonologist told him to go to the emergency room, she said. 

At the ER in the University of Louisville Hospital, he was reportedly tested at least twice for influenza, had two chest X-rays and had blood cultures run, which his wife said “came back normal.” He moved to an in-patient care room before leaving the hospital at 10:30 p.m.

His wife said the next night, the Lincoln Trail District Health Department called and informed them of the COVID-19 diagnosis. But she said he didn’t run a fever, and his medical records do not indicate he was tested for the virus that’s rocking the world.

The couple has been told to self-quarantine or potentially face arrest, as Nelson County Sheriff’s deputies monitor the family 24/7 for the “forced” isolation for about two weeks, Nelson County Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa confirmed to The Hill.

“They’re very cooperative, and they’re compliant with all” the quarantine requirements, Pineiroa said.

The wife told the newspaper that the family has been threatened and was not able to stock up on food for six adults and pets in the house ahead of the quarantine.

Beshear commented on the situation at a Saturday press conference. 

“It’s a step I hoped that I’d never have to take,” he said. “But I can’t allow one person who we know has this virus to refuse to protect their neighbors.”

The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services declined to comment, calling it a “sealed legal matter.”

Nelson County Judge Executive Dean Watts told CNN affiliate WDRB that the county would implement a forced quarantine if needed. 

“This is about us, not about ‘I,'” Watts said. “So quarantine is a must. If we have to, we’ll do it by force.”

—Updated Wednesday at 2:52 p.m.