‘Not a question of personal freedom.’ Kelly assails politicization of public health

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly sharply criticized elected officials for politicizing “common sense public health measures,” including her statewide order to wear face masks in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Many elected leaders in this state and around the county have chosen to dismiss recommendations from public health experts in favor of short-term political points,” Kelly said at a Monday press briefing.

The most grotesque example of this mischaracterization is a cartoon published Friday likening Kelly’s order to the roundup and murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

The weekly newspaper that posted the cartoon to Facebook is owned by Dane Hicks, the chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party. Hicks initially defended the cartoon, which he said he made himself, before removing it and apologizing.

Kelly’s position contrasts sharply with that of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who has framed masking as a matter of personal freedom and responsibility, accusing the media of turning it into a political issue.

“The mask deal has become a political issue in the media,” Parson said last week.

“You have to make a decision as individuals to decide whether you’re going to [wear a mask] or not. You know the facts.”

Some Kansas police chiefs and sheriffs have made it clear that they don’t plan to enforce Kelly’s mask order, which went into effect Friday.

“I can’t stress the point enough — this is not about state and local control, and it’s not a question of personal freedom,” Kelly said. “This is a matter of social responsibility while we’re dealing with the worst outbreak of a communicable virus in a century.”

Kansas has seen nearly 3,500 new cases in the last two weeks, including a wave of nearly 1,000 cases reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment since Friday.

“If we continue to ignore the experts, there is no question Kansas will end up like other states that have not taken this threat seriously,” Kelly said, citing Texas, which reopened early and has seen a drastic spike in cases.

Kelly said it’s her understanding that most local jurisdictions plan to use “more of an education and counseling approach than a punitive approach” when enforcing her order.

“This really isn’t intended to make criminals out of people. This is just intended to save their lives and the lives of their friends and neighbors,” Kelly said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 3:58 PM.