Wichita-area residents need clarity and caution, not a back-to-business free-for-all

If you’re confused about precisely what’s allowed under Gov. Laura Kelly’s four-phase plan to reopen Kansas, join the club.

It’s a pretty large club — far bigger than the 10-person max for public gatherings — and it includes local elected bodies like the Sedgwick County Commission, which met Friday morning to try to parse the governor’s executive order and figure out where to go from here.

“Just wash your hands, cover your face and keep your distance — that’s what we’re saying,” said Commissioner Lacey Cruse.

That’s true, and it’s worth repeating that the basic mantra remains: Residents should continue to take precautions to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

But Kelly’s plan to gradually allow Kansans to resume normal activities — “an effort to balance non-negotiable public health considerations with jaw-dropping, unsustainable economic realities” — raises numerous questions that state and local officials will need to decipher.

And quickly.

Among them: What happens to employers who don’t feel safe reopening, or employees who don’t want to return to work without proper protective equipment and other safeguards? Will they forfeit unemployment benefits or other government assistance?

What if COVID-19 cases spike and hospitals become overwhelmed? Who will decide whether to reinstate restrictions, and when?

How will local jurisdictions enforce the statewide order — if they do at all?

Sedgwick County Commissioners raised those questions and others Friday. Staff members said many won’t be answered until next week — although the new guidelines take effect Monday morning.

Kelly’s piecemeal go-ahead likely will frustrate many residents, and confusion over what’s allowed could prompt many to shrug and ignore the regulations altogether.

That’s dangerous, as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus continues to climb and Sedgwick County’s testing rate continues to lag. On Friday, the Wichita area’s testing rate was 7.9 per 1,000 people, compared with the statewide average of 11.34 per 1,000 people.

It doesn’t help that most Sedgwick County Commissioners suggested a wholesale return to pre-pandemic business as usual, with few if any restrictions or guidelines.

County leaders — with the exception of Commissioner Lacey Cruse — scoffed at their top health official’s advice to close buffets, self-service fountain drinks, and playgrounds as an added precaution. They said such restrictions are unnecessary because restaurants have their own protocols and businesses can police themselves.

Can they?

During a conference call last week to craft a road map for reopening, local business leaders told the commission they wanted clear and uniform guidance to maintain safety and equity and to limit liability if clusters of coronavirus infections surface.

Nobody wants to see the Kansas economy shut down. But we must be careful, methodical and clear about our path to reopening, or we risk a spike in coronoavirus cases and deaths.

Right now the message to Wichita-area residents should be a slow, deliberate return to business that errs on the side of caution — not a confusing, anything-goes free-for-all.

This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 4:01 PM.