Johnson County COVID-19 rules now just suggestions after Kansas ends reopening plan
Update: City leaders plead for COVID-19 regulation after Johnson County makes it voluntary. Story here.
Johnson County officials said that any coronavirus restrictions limiting the size of gatherings or how businesses can operate are now just strong recommendations.
In a release issued late Tuesday night, officials said they would not impose their own restrictions after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced she is ending the state’s phased approach to reopening the economy.
Kelly announced earlier that day that she will veto a bill designed to limit her authority amid the COVID-19 crisis. She also said the state will no longer follow her gradual, statewide plan for opening businesses, which was aimed at controlling the spread of the virus, and instead leave those decisions up to individual counties.
Joseph LeMaster, Johnson County’s public health officer, said he strongly recommends that residents and businesses continue to follow the phases and guidance in the state plan.
“This will give us the time we need to monitor the data and see the impact of loosening restrictions, reopening businesses and the gatherings that occurred over the Memorial Day weekend,” LeMaster said in the news release. “It is crucial that we all continue to practice physical distancing, wear barrier masks where we cannot maintain social distancing, practice good hygiene and make decisions that protect the health of the community.”
Wyandotte County, though, will continue enforcing Kelly’s plan, until at least June 8, Mayor David Alvey said. The county has been especially hard hit by coronavirus, reporting 1,268 cases and 72 deaths as of Wednesday morning.
“No matter what political battles rage at the state level, our fight has been and will continue to be against the novel coronavirus,” Alvey said in a news release. “We will restrict, or relax, as much as is necessary to prevent overwhelming first responders and our health care system, while simultaneously working to reopen our community at the appropriate time.”
Officials in Johnson County said they will not impose new restrictions, “based on current conditions.” Sanmi Areola, public health director, has said for a few weeks that he is “cautiously optimistic” that new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are steadily declining.
But Areola said now that businesses have started to reopen, the county is “seeing an increase of positive cases, just as we anticipated.”
As of Wednesday morning, Johnson County reported 755 cases and 62 deaths. The county continues to face outbreaks at several long-term care facilities and some workplaces.
Commissioner Mike Brown, who has advocated for giving businesses more freedom and reopening the economy as soon as possible, posted on Facebook late Tuesday that Johnson County “is effectively now fully open for business.”
“Be responsible. Be careful. Have fun. Exercise those rights, my fellow Americans,” he wrote.
But Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick said she is “very concerned about this change.”
“I will continue to advocate that we utilize a phased reopening plan,” she wrote. “Reopening in a controlled manner has allowed us to manage the spread of the virus and keep our health care providers from being overwhelmed. We are increasing access to testing. Now is not the time for the community to abandon this plan, especially when we are seeing encouraging trends.”
County leaders are ramping up their testing program, now offering free COVID-19 tests to residents, by appointment. Officials also have expanded testing among front-line workers, in nursing homes and in churches and other facilities. And the county will offer testing for all residents over 18, first come, first served, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the College Boulevard Activity Center, 11031 S. Valley Road in Olathe.
“We will continue to investigate outbreaks, increase testing and ramp up contact tracing and investigations,” Areola said. “We will also continue to work with long-term care facilities to mitigate the spread among our most vulnerable population. We’ve appreciated how Johnson County has taken steps to flatten the curve, and strongly urge you to continue to help with that effort.”
In a Facebook post late Tuesday, Commissioner Becky Fast wrote that testing “is still not to the levels that are needed across the county. … I find this very concerning.”
Under Kelly’s new state order, all businesses and churches will be allowed to open at full capacity, with none of the social distancing or other regulations that she put in place.
Under the most recent phase of Kelly’s plan, many rules already were relaxed, but bars, as well as entertainment venues with a capacity of 2,000 or more, remained closed. Restaurants, movie theaters, salons, churches and other gathering places could open, with social distancing. Gatherings were limited to no more than 15 people.
County leaders still urge businesses to abide by those recommendations. Under Kelly’s original plan, the state would have moved on to the next phase no earlier than June 8. That would have allowed all businesses, swimming pools and other venues to open, with social distancing. Gatherings would have been limited to no more than 45 people.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 10:58 AM.
