Sedgwick County ditches Gov. Kelly order requiring masks in schools to fight COVID
Sedgwick County commissioners on Wednesday overruled an order by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly mandating protective face masks in schools to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The action lets schools within Sedgwick County allow students and teachers to wear clear plastic face shields as face coverings, instead of the cloth or surgical paper masks the governor’s order requires, officials said.
The action also revokes the governor’s requirement for fever checks to enter school buildings and a directive that students and educators disinfect their hands on an hourly basis.
County Health Office Garold Minns, also the dean of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, cautioned that plastic shields are less effective at limiting COVID-19 spread than breathe-through masks covering the nose and mouth.
He recommended face shields be limited to only people who can’t medically tolerate fabric or paper masks.
“Face shields were actually designed to protect health care workers from droplets and other secretions infecting them when they’re caring for patients, unlike a mask where we’re trying to prevent people from giving it to other people,” he said. “However I would say for people who cannot tolerate a mask, I would find a face shield better than nothing.”
Overturning Kelly’s order passed on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Michael O’Donnell dissenting.
In recent weeks, Commissioner Lacey Cruse has carried the fire for teachers complaining that it’s difficult to teach young children to properly form words if they can’t see the teacher’s lips moving. On Wednesday, she said clarifying rules on clear face shields was her only reason for voting to overrule Kelly’s school order.
She did express a related concern, however, that if infections do spread in schools, the data should not be used to justify extending an order by Minns limiting bars and nightclubs to 50 percent occupancy and an 11 p.m. curfew on places selling alcohol by the drink.
“I don’t want for our bars and nightclubs to be bearing the brunt of this when the positive test rise, let’s say hypothetically, could be potentially a different age group than would visit a bar and nightclub,” she said.
Commissioner Jim Howell said he doesn’t think schools need the governor telling them what to do at all.
“I trust the schools to make a good decision,” Howell said. “I don’t know we need a mandate telling a school that they have to do temperature checks or use hand sanitizer.”
A statement from a Wichita school district spokeswoman said USD 259 will review the county’s actions, but for now will continue requiring masks, daily temperature checks and frequent hand sanitization.
Under the provisions of a new law known as House Bill 2016, the commission has the authority to overrule both Minns and the governor on COVID-related matters. The bill passed the Legislature in a special session June 4.
Minns also presented the commission with a medical journal article about recent research showing that while children have a lesser risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, they actually carry larger viral loads in their respiratory system. That, he said, could make them more effective spreaders of infection than adults.
Minns also defended the mask mandates and business limitations he’s ordered, saying they’ve made a noticeable dent in the spread of the virus.
He reported that several key indicators are down and dropping, including new cases per 100,000 residents, the percentage of positive coronavirus tests, hospitalizations and deaths.
“All these numbers have improved once we implemented the orders in early July,” Minns said. “One would have to assume that that order had some impact.
“Because of that, I think we have less people who are sick, I know we have less people who are in the hospital, and I can’t prove it, but I would guess some people haven’t died because of this order limiting the spread of virus. And some people who would have gotten it otherwise have not gotten it.
The commission action came a day after the Wichita City Council extended its separate mask order after a raucous 7-hour public hearing and protest.
On Tuesday, 120 anti-mask protesters demanded the city rescind its mandate and return to business as usual before the COVID pandemic struck.
Commissioners avoided the potential for a similar marathon meeting by not allowing speakers who hadn’t signed up by 5 p.m. Tuesday to give comments in person.
About a dozen people gathered at the door of the courthouse. They weren’t allowed inside, nor were they allowed to communicate with the commission by electronic means.
Howell pointed out that the county’s website gave conflicting instructions on how to participate in public comment. Under ordinary circumstances, anyone who wants can walk in and sign up to speak the morning of the meeting.
Since the pandemic hit, the commission has discouraged live testimony in favor of e-mails that are attached to the minutes.
Instead of changing the rules to allow the speakers in, the commission, minus Howell, voted to tell the staff to fix the website instead.
But the commission didn’t completely avoid protest theatrics.
One of the handful of speakers who did sign up in time spoke while wearing a rain poncho indoors and presented the commission with an umbrella to illustrate her assertion that the chance of dying from COVID-19 is too small to justify the county’s regulations.
“If we’re going to continue wearing masks despite the extremely low risk, we need to take safety precautions in all areas of life,” Tonya Hudson said. “I brought my umbrella just in case, because I’m not sure if you guys are aware or not, but there is actually a one in 16 million chance that a commercial sprinkler system can malfunction and so if you have your umbrella indoors and you’re wearing your poncho, you’re safe.”
As Hudson left, Cruse reminded her not to forget her own umbrella, which she’d left on the podium.
“Thank you for this one,” Cruse said. “My daughter will love it.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 3:05 PM.
