Sedgwick County health officer orders mask mandate to fight COVID-19
Less than a week after Sedgwick County commissioners rejected a mandatory mask order, the county’s health officer is ordering a mask mandate on his own authority.
Dr. Garold Minns announced the order during the county’s weekly update on the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
Under Minns’ order, masks will be required to be worn:
▪ by employees, customers and visitors of any business or nonprofit agency in areas that are open to the public.
▪ in office and industrial workspaces where employees cannot maintain six feet of spacing between themselves.
▪ in all areas where food is packaged or prepared for sale or distribution.
▪ in restaurants and bars, except when seated at a table eating or drinking with social distancing between customer groupings.
Exceptions include children 5 and under, athletes engaged in organized sports, persons taking part in strenuous workout activities if separated from others by more than six feet, and persons with disabilities.
The order also limits mass gatherings to 45 individuals in one place at a time if social distancing cannot be accomplished.
The mask requirement ordered by Minns parallels an order issued by Gov. Laura Kelly and rejected by the commission last Thursday.
It’s also very similar to the mask ordinance passed by the Wichita City Council at a special meeting Friday, hastily called after the county decided not to mandate masks.
Wichita accounts for about 75 percent of the county’s population.
Some county commissioners who voted against mandatory masks last week say conditions have changed and they’ll support Minns’ order if it comes back before the commission.
The commission rejected an almost identical mask mandate last Thursday, choosing to make it a strong, but voluntary-compliance recommendation.
Under the terms of a state law passed in a special session last month, they could overturn Minns’ order as well.
Chairman Pete Meitzner and Commissioner David Dennis said during last Thursday’s meeting that they would monitor the numbers and take stronger action if the COVID situation didn’t improve.
On Wednesday, they said the situation has changed and they now support Minns’ order mandating masks.
“As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Minns has (written) a solid order based on the data that has been coming in to us” since the July 4 holiday weekend, Meitzner said.
Commissioner Lacey Cruse, who supported a mask mandate last week, said she also supports Minns’ new order, meaning a majority of the commission would uphold it if it comes to a vote.
“I believe this will slow the spread of the virus and is something simple and easily found in our toolbox that we can do for one another to help our community,” she said in a text message.
Minns’ order is scheduled to take effect Friday morning, just after midnight. It is scheduled to continue through Aug. 9.
He said he decided to take that action after seeing rising rates of infection spreading through the community and hearing concerns from local hospitals.
The number of cases in Sedgwick County increased by 51 between Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,703. More than half of those cases - 890 - are considered active.
“Our recoveries are not moving as fast as our infections,” County Manager Tom Stolz said Wednesday.
“As of July 6th Hospitals also are reporting a surge of potential COVID symptoms being detected at their satellite Urgent Care facilities,” according to the county’s website.
In addition, Wichita hospitals have seen an increase in the number of staff members who have contracted COVID, or are being quarantined as a result of COVID, the website says.
As of Monday, 32 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized, with 10 in intensive care. Another 31 patients have COVID-like symptoms and are waiting on test results. The information comes from two hospital providers in Wichita, according to Stolz.
Wednesday was the first time the county had downgraded hospital status as “moderate” with a yellow exclamation point on its pandemic dashboard. It had previously said “good” with a green check mark.
Minns, the county health officer, had warned last week that hospital officials are concerned about the trajectory in cases.
“I recognize that our community wants to get back to normal life before the appearance of COVID-19, but it is simply not possible at this time,” Minns said Wednesday. “It’s important for our residents and businesses, our whole community, to come together and protect one another from COVID-19 and also enact measures that will allow us to recover economically.”
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
