More of Johnson County reopens Monday, May 18. Here’s what you can and can’t do
Gyms and hair salons can open in Johnson County as of Monday, May 18, as Kansas moves into a new phase of its plan for reopening the economy.
But under state regulations, gatherings remain limited to no more than 10 for now. Bars, theaters and swimming pools will stay closed.
Here’s what you can and can’t do in Johnson County now:
What you can do
▪ Get your hair cut at a barbershop or salon, but you have to have an appointment.
▪ Get your nails done, get a tattoo or go tanning, but you also need an appointment.
▪ Go to your gym or health club. But group classes aren’t allowed and you’ll need to change before you go because locker rooms must stay closed.
▪ Eat at a restaurant. But tables must be limited to parties of 10 and kept six feet apart. Back-to-back booths with barriers are allowed.
▪ Go to church or other houses of worship as long as social distance is maintained.
▪ Send your kid to a licensed child care facility.
▪ Shop at retail stores as long as you observe social distance.
What you can’t do
▪ Gather in groups of more than 10 unless you can practice social distancing.
▪ Go to non-tribal casinos.
▪ Go to bars or nightclubs, except for carryout food and drinks.
▪ Go to the movies, museums or other indoor leisure activities like arcades.
▪ Go to community centers or swimming pools. Backyard pools are OK.
▪ Take part in organized sports, including team practices.
▪ Go to summer camp.
Last week, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced the state would take a half-step forward and move into “Phase 1.5,” reopening some businesses with tight restrictions. She decided that while it appears conditions have improved by some measures during the coronavirus outbreak, it was still too early to move fully into Phase 2.
Phase 2 would would have allowed even more businesses to open, plus the limit on gatherings would have been increased to no more than 30 people in a group.
Counties and cites can impose stricter rules than the state, but can’t be less stringent.
Joseph LeMaster, Johnson County’s public health officer, said that because of mitigation efforts, death rates and hospitalizations have declined.
“The data for Johnson County continues to improve very heart-warmingly and positively, I am glad to say,” LeMaster told county commissioners. “And that is a direct result of residents and businesses taking the pandemic seriously.”
But Johnson County continues to monitor several outbreaks at long-term care facilities, as well as a cluster of cases at an Olathe FedEx facility. As of Monday morning, the county had reported 652 COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths.
