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Clark County’s COVID-19 incidence rate continues to decline.

The incidence rate — the number of coronavirus infections per 100,000 population — has been as high as the 90s in the county, but on Friday it was down to 16.15, according to numbers released by the Clark County Health Department.

That puts the county in the orange category of 10-25 cases per 100,000, meaning the county should take additonal mitigation steps to reduce the spread of the virus. Until recently, the county had for months been in the red, or critical, category.

The improvement is one of the reasons Clark County Public Schools Superintendent Paul Christy gave for allowing students to return to classrooms according to the hybrid model of in-person learning two days a week and virtual three days a week.

According to the Health Department, there were 178 active cases Friday. In all, there have been 2,362, and 22 people in the county have died of COVID-related illness.

On Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear reported that statewide numbers were also trending lower. There were 1,993 new cases and 28 more COVID deaths reported in Kentucky.