FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear gave an update Friday on COVID-19 cases and plans to reopen dining rooms across the commonwealth.

Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below:

Restaurants reopen Friday

Restaurants across Kentucky reopened at 33% dine-in capacity plus outdoor seating Friday. Restaurants have been instructed to limit parties to 10 or fewer guests, and to separate tables by at least six feet. Employees will be required to wear masks while interacting with customers.

The state also advises that restaurants use disposable menus, napkins, table cloths, disposable utensils and condiments when possible. Self-serve buffets and salad bars will also be closed if employees cannot offer buffet service.

Restaurants must also create mask policies for customers, which may include refusing to serve guests who aren't wearing a face mask while away from their table or around others.

For more guidelines for restaurants and customers, click here.

Beshear said bars will remain closed until July because it's harder to regulate social distancing inside bars than in restaurants, but bars can still operate as restaurants by offering food service at tables outside.

Additionally, the governor's restrictions on interstate travel expired Friday.

On Thursday, Beshear added new dates for reopening horse parks, auctions, large-group gatherings and more. See WCPO's timeline for the full list of event reopenings in Kentucky and around the Tri-State.

TIMELINE: Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana reopening plans

Voting in Kentucky's primary

Sec. of State Michael Adams unveiled a new web portal where Kentuckians can check their voter registration status and request absentee ballots for the primary elections.

There are four ways to vote in Kentucky: in-person on election day, June 23; in-person early voting before June 8; absentee by mail; and absentee ballots returned to your local elections board before election day.

Since the state is "not able" to mail ballots to everyone automatically, Sec. of State Michael Adams said those who want an absentee ballot to either mail back or return to local elections boards can visit GoVoteKy.com.

“It makes it easy to vote, and it makes it hard to cheat,” Adams said.

You can check your voter status and update your information at Elect.Ky.Gov. Both sites are mobile-friendly, Adams said.

The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, May 26. The deadline to request a primary absentee ballot is June 15.

MORE: Kentucky gets in line with mail-in voting

Case numbers and testing

Beshear reported five new virus-related deaths Friday, and there have been 391 virus-related deaths among 8,426 total positive COVID-19 cases statewide. NKY Health reported 1,065 total local cases and 57 virus-related deaths as of Thursday.

More than 3,000 people have recovered from coronavirus, and more than 171,338 people have been tested so far. Beshear said though 40 virus-related deaths have been reported in just three days, the numbers continue to show a "plateauing" of cases.

A free drive-thru COVID-19 testing site will remain open in Erlanger at 25 Atlantic Ave this week. You can call 1-800-737-7900 to schedule an appointment.

For a complete list of coronavirus testing sites in Kentucky, click here.

Childcare reopening in June

Cabinet of Health and Family Services Sec. Eric Friedlander announced Thursday that in-home daycare will be able to open June 8, with center-based licensed childcare resuming June 15.

Friedlander said daycares would have to follow new guidelines, including staggering playground time, eliminating centerwide family events and field trips, and using centralized pick up/drop off locations to reduce exposure.

All adults and children over age 5 are asked to wear masks in childcare centers, Friedlander said.

For more guidelines on childcare and resources for parents, click here.

Ky. to distribute $300M in CARES funds

City and county governments across Kentucky can apply for part of $300 million in CARES Act funding for coronavirus response starting Thursday.

To apply, local governments with COVID-19-related expenses from March 1, 2020 to Dec. 30, 2020 must complete an application with expense documentation. These expenses can include personal protective equipment, food delivery to nursing homes and vulnerable populations, necessary telework and communications improvements, and others.

“Local governments have been instrumental in the fight against COVID-19 and are a lifeline in our local communities,” Beshar said.

Local governments must apply with the expense documentation on DLG’s website. Funding will be allocated to governments based on population size.

Video above: New Hampshire Department of Education outlines spending plan for relief funds

Congress authorized more than $190 billion to help America's schools reopen and stay open during the pandemic — and while a lot of the funds were used to buy PPE, upgrade ventilation and boost summer school programs, there are still billions of dollars left to be spent.

Many local school boards haven't yet decided how to use the most recent round of funds released in March. In most states, districts are required to submit a spending plan between mid-August and mid-September and will be reimbursed after they use the money.

"I'm both sympathetic and frustrated with the rate of district spending at the moment," said Marguerite Roza, professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and director of the Edunomics Lab research center.

The COVID-19 relief money — which came from three different pieces of legislation — is a huge federal investment equal to roughly six times the amount of fiscal year 2021 base funding. Congress gave schools more than three years to spend the latest and biggest round of money, with few strings attached. It's unlikely to be spent all at once, especially if it's used for teachers' salaries or capital improvements that are paid for over time.

The money was meant to help schools provide safe, in-person instruction for all students and while a majority of schools have reopened, many are facing new challenges to keeping kids in classrooms this fall as the delta variant spreads and families await vaccine approval for children under 12.

Schools in Texas have already surpassed the highest COVID-19 case weekly total from last year. A shortage of bus drivers in Chicago, partly due to resignations over a vaccine mandate, have left families scrambling to find transportation. Parents are frustrated and in some places have thrust school boards into the heated debate over masks and vaccines, fueling interest in local elections.

Here's what we know about what schools are getting and how they're spending it.

How much money are schools receiving?

Not every school will get the same amount of money. The law directs states to disburse the money like it does Title I funding, which means more money goes to districts with more low-income families. Some districts, those with very low poverty rates, won't receive any direct COVID-19 relief funding — but may be eligible for some funds that are left up to the state's discretion.

When the pandemic first hit, the CARES Act authorized about $13 billion for K-12 schools, or about $270 per pupil. The bill that passed in December delivered about $54 billion, or $1,100 per pupil, and the most recent and biggest package, the American Rescue Plan, allowed for $128 billion in spending, that amounts to $2,600 per pupil, according to an analysis by FutureEd, another non-partisan think tank at Georgetown University.

Schools spent a big portion of the money from the first relief bill, passed a year ago, on PPE, cleaning supplies, technology and learning management systems that helped students learn from home, and salaries and wages — according to a survey from the Association of School Business Officials conducted in February.

How are schools allowed to spend the money?

About 20% of the money a district receives must be used to address learning loss — which can include tutoring programs, summer school or extended school days going forward.

But there are few other restrictions on the funding, so it's largely up to the local school boards to decide how to spend it on a broad range of pandemic-related needs.

The law notes that it can be spent on things like sanitation supplies, technology, mental health services and ventilation systems, to name a few. But it's not certain all the plans will be fully executed — especially when it includes hiring more teachers and counselors who may be hard to find.

Districts are required to seek public input on how to spend the money, though outreach efforts vary. Many school boards have discussed the spending at public meetings throughout the summer. On agendas, the topic is often referred to as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, or ESSER.

States are allowed to keep 10% of the COVID-19 education aid and decide how to disburse the money. They were required to submit an application to the Department of Education earlier this year and will receive the last third of the money once it's approved. The department has approved 33 to date.

Spending plans: tutoring, mental health counselors, renovations

The decentralized nature of the U.S. school system makes it difficult to track how exactly districts are spending the money. A recent survey from the School Superintendents Association found that a majority of districts are planning to use the funds for support staff, technology to access the internet, and professional development for educators. Other top priorities include high-intensity tutoring, adding learning time by compensating staff to work longer and renovating facilities.

The Detroit public school district, for example, plans to use COVID-19 relief funds to give teachers a one-time bonus, provide tutoring, expand mental health services, make facility improvements and reduce class size by hiring more teachers.

But not every proposed use can be justified. The Illinois State Board of Education recently rejected a district's plan to use COVID-19 relief dollars towards an artificial surface on its football field.

It's been five months since Congress created a new grant program for live music venues, theaters and museums that were forced to shut their doors because of the pandemic — but none of the $16 billion available has yet been disbursed.

The Small Business Administration has said it expects the first round of grants — going to the hardest-hit businesses — will go out this week. Administrator Isabella Guzman will appear before the House Committee on Small Businesses on Wednesday to testify about the COVID-19 relief programs she oversees.

The months-long wait, made longer by technical delays, is raising anxiety for some venue owners who are desperate for aid as social distancing restrictions are lifted across the country.

Some Broadway shows, including "Hamilton," "Wicked" and "The Lion King," have announced they will return to the stage on Sept. 14 — a promise sign that theaters will be able to put on a fall season.

But uncertainty remains about whether audiences will show up and smaller venues, especially, have a hard time booking future shows without knowing when or if the aid money will come in.

More than 12,000 businesses have applied for one of the grants.

First to close, last to open

Soon after states and cities shut down last March, industry leaders banded together to form the National Independent Venue Association and launched a lobbying campaign known as Save Our Stages. The group now has 3,000 members.

The pressure helped create bipartisan support for an emergency grant program and a bill was introduced last summer.

But live venue owners were kept waiting until December's relief bill. It provided $15 billion in grants for live venue operators and promoters, theaters, and some museums, zoos and aquariums. Owners were still waiting for a chance to apply for a grant when Congress passed another huge COVID-19 relief bill in March, known as the American Rescue plan. It added $1.25 billion to the program.

The new grant can total up to $10 million or up to 45% of 2019 revenue, whichever is less. The money can be used for expenses such as payroll costs, rent, utilities and personal protective equipment — and it doesn't have to be paid back.

Operators who have lost at least 25% of their revenue last year are eligible and the law gives priority to those who have suffered the most economic loss — starting with an exclusive 14-day period to those who lost at least 90%.

Restaurants are getting money faster

Similar emergency grants for struggling restaurants have taken less time to go out. That program, known as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, was approved by Congress in March and began sending money out two weeks ago, marked with a visit from President Joe Biden to a taqueria in Washington, D.C. About $6 billion has been awarded to date.

But the program won't be able to meet the need. It has received more than 303,000 applications requesting about $69 billion — much more than the $28.6 billion the program was provided by Congress — and the government stopped taking applications Monday.

A portion of the funds have been set aside for the smallest restaurants and bars. Businesses owned by women, veterans, or socially and economically disadvantaged individuals will get first priority for the funds.

The Small Business Administration was tasked with establishing these two new grant programs while also administering two other key relief programs: the Paycheck Protection Program, which lends forgivable loans to small businesses, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which makes longer-term, low-interest loans.

The former is now closed to new applicants but the latter is ongoing.