Majority of counties in Kansas have mask mandate in place following governor’s order

Sixty-two Kansas counties now have mask orders in place, with many coming as Gov. Laura Kelly’s new statewide mask order went into effect, according to a list compiled by the Kansas Association of Counties.

That’s up from the 50 reported counties, out of 105, with mask mandates as of Tuesday. The remaining 43 of the counties have opted out, but most are encouraging or recommending people wear masks.

It’s a stark contrast to the response Kelly received to her first mask order in July, when the majority of counties opted out. But as cases of COVID-19 soar and hospitals struggle with the number of patients, the switch shows local officials developing a willingness to take more aggressive action to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Any county that didn’t opt out of Kelly’s order is automatically covered by it. Counties with their own mandates in place by the Wednesday deadline were allowed to keep those.

In the Kansas City area, Leavenworth County has opted out. Miami County has adopted a mask requirement after not doing so previously.

On Tuesday, Kelly spoke to reporters and said there was “very little pushback this time around,” on the mandate.

“I think it’s because people are so much more aware of how serious this is, how widespread it is,” Kelly said. “And it is no longer an urban issue, I mean it’s clearly from border to border.”

Now, health officials fear a post-Thanksgiving rise in COVID-19 cases.

Kansas has recorded 147,797 cases, 1,503 deaths and 4,921 hospitalizations to date.

This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 10:29 PM.