COVID-19 news: Kansas to enter ‘Phase 1.5’ next week, KC takes another reopening step
As the new coronavirus continues to spread in Kansas, including hundreds of cases in dozens of clusters, the state will transition into “Phase 1.5” of its recovery plan next week.
Beginning Monday, fitness centers and health clubs may reopen but in-person classes will be prohibited and locker rooms must stay shut. Casinos, theaters and nightclubs will stay closed and mass gatherings of more than 10 people will remain prohibited.
Cities and counties can impose stricter rules than the state, but can’t be less stringent.
Johnson County is following Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide rules. Wyandotte County, by contrast, has taken a more restrictive approach. Dine-in restaurant service, gyms and personal service businesses, such as salons, will remain closed.
As of Wednesday, 7,468 people in Kansas had tested positive, including 164 people who have died. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said 704 hospitalizations have occurred.
Health authorities are tracking dozens of clusters stemming from meatpacking plants, religious gatherings, a range of private businesses and the state’s largest prison, in Lansing.
A new outbreak was identified Thursday at an Olathe distribution center. Nine employees have tested positive, the Johnson County Health Department said. Officials did not name the business, but said it was not accessed by the general public.
Kelly said in a statement that while conditions in the state have improved by some measures — rates of hospitalizations and deaths have declined and a contact tracing program is underway — it would be premature to move fully into Phase 2.
The governor’s call to take a small step forward comes as she confronts a tough political reality. Republican legislators, angry that the Democratic governor has kept some businesses closed for weeks, will try to restrict her authority when the Legislature reconvenes next week.
“We need the economy working again,” said Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican who is running for U.S. Senate. “We need to start allowing people to feed their families and pay their bills.”
Kansas City’s restrictions
In Missouri, Kansas City eased restrictions on Friday.
Gyms were allowed to reopen under the “10/10/10” rule — sites are limited to 10% of building capacity or 10 people, whichever is greater. Not all chains in the city reopened, however.
The Kansas City Zoo will open its gates on Saturday, but new restrictions will be in place. All tickets must be purchased online and entrance times will be staggered to limit visitors to about half the crowd of a normal peak summer day.
As COVID-19 continues to cause uncertainty, Missouri lawmakers moved this week to create a new “no-excuse” mail-in ballot system to be used during local elections on June 2.
The system would require county clerks to print new envelopes and ballots, separate from the current absentee ballot process. While voters would not have to provide an excuse to request a mail-in ballot, they would still need a notary to validate their identity.
But House Democrats said the bill did nothing to improve voter access.
“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to now get an absentee ballot that I still have to get notarized,” state Rep. Deb Lavender, a St. Louis County Democrat, said during debate. “That’s not going to make it any more convenient for people to vote in this time of the pandemic.”
