County health officer sounds a warning as COVID-19 numbers rise in Wichita area
Sedgwick County’s health officer is raising concerns that the Wichita area may have moved too fast to fully reopen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He’s recommending a retreat to an early phase of health precautions to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Dr. Garold Minns is recommending backing up to Phase 2 of the “Ad Astra Plan,” Gov. Laura Kelly’s now-abandoned effort for a slower, more deliberate reopening after two months of strict stay-at-home orders and mass gathering limits.
Minns framed his recommendation as an advisory to county residents rather than a mandatory order, suggesting people should continue social distancing practices, wearing protective face coverings and working from home when possible.
Under Phase 2, most businesses could be open with limitations on occupancy and other precautions for close-contact personal services such as haircuts and tattooing. But bars, swimming pools, large entertainment venues, fairs, festivals and summer camps would close.
The final decision is up to the Sedgwick County Commission, which has not said what it will do.
Patchwork of rules
More than half of Kansas counties, including Sedgwick County, currently have no restrictions in place to slow the spread of coronavirus, according to survey by the Kansas Association of Counties.
The survey found that 42 counties have adopted restrictions and 59 have none but may have issued recommended guidelines. The association is working to verify the plans of the remaining four counties.
Restriction vary from limits on sizes of mass gatherings to closing certain types of businesses, such as bars.
The situation spotlights the complexity and burgeoning confusion as the state seeks to restart the economy after Kelly’s earlier executive orders shut down nonessential businesses and banned mass gatherings for about two months.
Under pressure from the Legislature, Kelly on May 26 abandoned her deliberate approach to reopening commerce and left all decisions on pandemic response in the hands of the state’s 105 counties.
As of Friday, 10 counties had 89 percent of the state’s coronavirus cases. Ford County had the most with 1,823 cases, followed by Wyandotte, Finney, Leavenworth, Johnson, Seward, Sedgwick, Lyon and Shawnee. Of the top ten, Jackson County had the least with 103.
Half of those top 10 counties — Wyandotte, Finney, Lyon, Shawnee and Jackson — still have some restrictions in place, according to Kimberly Qualls, the association’s Education and Communications Manager. All are following different phases of the restrictions originally set out by Kelly, Qualls said in an email late last week.
Increase in cases
On May 27, one day after Kelly lifted all coronavirus restrictions, Minns advised Sedgwick County commissioners to stay in Phase 2, with a minor caveat that he thought the limit on public gatherings could be increased from 15 people to 20.
Commissioners set aside that advice and dropped all restrictions in the county, meaning any business could open to full capacity and operate as it had before the coronavirus pandemic came to Kansas.
The decision reignited social life in the nightclub scene at Old Town — where bars reopened to large and closely packed crowds.
Plus, the city has been roiled by large street protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis — another activity that has potential to spread the disease.
Since Memorial Day, the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests has been ticking up slightly rather than going down, Minns reported in a news release Friday issued by the county government.
“After watching the trends and community activity, I believe that it is too soon for our community to move into Phase 3,” Minns said in the statement.
He has the power to issue mandatory health orders, but that authority will evaporate in a matter of days.
On Thursday, the Legislature passed a bill — one Kelly said she’ll sign into law — giving county commissions the authority to override any statewide coronavirus orders she issues. The bill also gives county commissions authority to override any local health officer’s rules.
Sedgwick County Commissioner David Dennis said he was caught off guard by Minns’ recommendation.
“I’m surprised it came out the way it did,” Dennis said. “It’s not the way we’ve done things before.”
Dennis said he thinks the commission will discuss the issue when it meets Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 7:14 PM.
